


Paved With Good Intentions

by Kumiko



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Politics, Redemption, Romance, Sporadic Updates, Time Travel, Violence, long chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-03-02 06:05:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18805246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kumiko/pseuds/Kumiko
Summary: After Azula killed Zuko and Katara in an Agni Kai, she realizes that she's lost everything. When she's given a second chance to redeem herself, and to change her past mistakes, she's sent back to when she was 11. To where her true depravity began.





	1. Prologue

Despite killing her brother in a frenzy and losing an arm to the water tribe peasant, Azula expected that she would be on cloud nine: she was finally Fire Lord. It didn't matter that the Avatar hadn't shown up at the Fire Nation capital after the Earth kingdom had been obliterated on her order. She had gotten everything she'd worked hard for, and it felt like grasping a puff of smoke.

“Congratulations, Azula. I know you worked hard for this.” Her mother's sweet, rotten voice cooed. It was mocking and filled with mirth. Yet another person Azula couldn't trust. Her father had stolen her idea to obliterate the Earth kingdom, and gave her an empty title of Fire Lord. He gave her her heart's desire, only to immediately undermine it like he always did. Azula had been a sword for Ozai, and he cast her aside just as easily as he did to everything else. Why had she thought she was special? Because he rarely punished her? Because he didn't scar her like he did Zuko?

What had she fought so hard for? Azula had killed her brother and the water tribe peasant that the Avatar loved. She had murdered her own brother. He challenged her, like usual, but had a calm and accepting look on his face. He had excelled to a level Azula could never reach. If she hadn't used the peasant as a distraction, then Zuko would've won. She was so off her game, Zuzu could have won. Her _precious_ brother who everyone loved. She was the Crown Princess. She had given this nation, her leader, her all. Everything she did was for the glory of the Fire Nation. And what was she rewarded with? An empty title and a dead brother. She was worse than her mother.

She stumbled to her brother's body, blood pouring down her paralyzed arm. That peasant had crippled her, but it didn't matter. Azula had won… something. She gazed into the filmed, widened eyes of her brother, who once loved her before she started bending; before Ozai poisoned her innocence and siphoned her Agni given power to usurp the Fire Nation. Why hadn't she realized she was simply being used to do her father’s dirty work? Did Ty Lee and Mai see it? Is that why they betrayed her?

“Of course you were used, Azula. You always did have too much pride and no dignity to carry it with.” Her mother’s snark was unappreciated. Azula fell to her knees and finally looked around the prize she had killed so many for. All she could see were burning buildings and hear screams of agony or rage. No matter who won this battle, Azula would never be the Fire Lord she had aspired to be for so many years. It was an empty title indeed. An empty title for an empty nation.

“You could have joined the Avatar, you know. It should have been an obvious choice instead of trying to kill your uncle and your brother. For someone you claim to not care about, you feel pretty disgusting for killing him, don’t you?”

Azula didn’t dignify that rant with a reply. It was merely a figment of her imagination, mocking her now when it was too late. She had worn the dignity of the Fire Nation with pride. Her mother’s voice was, once again, unnecessary and unwelcomed. Join the Avatar? Yeah, right! The Avatar was a man child who couldn’t even beat her in her prime. Why would she depend on such a weakling to help her achieve her goals? He probably struggled against her father, and she killed the peasant when she was out of her mind. Like hell she wanted to depend on them.

“You depended on your weakling of a father, and look where it got you. You trusted a paranoid coward who forced his wife to murder her father-in-law or else her son would be killed. You trusted a man who connived behind his own brother’s back for power. You trusted a man who didn’t hesitate to burn your brother and banish him for stepping out of turn. You have trusted less, and achieved nothing. I’m disappointed.”

Azula saw red, and her heart beat hard in her chest from her unbridled anger. “How can you be disappointed when you abandoned your children to face a lunatic you were so scared of? You have all this nice insight of my failures, but I didn’t have anyone but that lunatic to support me. I wasn’t loved like Zuko who had you and that fat moron! I only had traitorous best friends who would rather throw away their lives for my flip flopping, craven brother than tell me that my father was using me!” Her chest heaved with the slanderous thoughts towards Ozai, and it felt good. It felt like a weight was being released, and Ursa quietly chuckled as if her outburst was hilarious.

Azula scoffed at the chuckle. “And who’s the real monster? The man who hid none of his intentions, or the woman who abandoned her children to those intentions? I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone. You’re all untrustworthy, preachy cowards that would rather take the easy way out of all of your problems than face them head on! At least I knew that my decisions are steeped in blood and death. I knew that when Ozai gave me my first mission as a fire bending Master and a Lightning Bending Master. I am the best! Zuko lost because he was weak!”

“Zuko lost because he had humanity. He cared about other people than himself.”

“And look where that got him. He didn’t care enough for Mai. She died at Boiling Rock because of her betrayal. Mai loved that moron, and he cast her aside as easily as Ozai cast him aside. It was no sweat off his ‘honor’ to leave his noblewoman, ex-girlfriend to the wolves to fend for herself in a sea of men who wouldn’t honor a woman with dubious chastity. He didn’t care about me either!”

“What didn’t he do?”

Azula bit her tongue hard, her vision swirling. She had lost a considerable amount of blood, and would probably die hallucinating her wretched mother’s voice. What did Zuko do for her? He expected a woman fire bender to surrender her only source of power for his murky mission for honor? He wanted Azula to sacrifice her future for something so uncertain? She wasn’t an idiot, but apparently she was if she was hallucinating and dying.

“Katara!” A voice screeched in absolute horror. A young voice that clearly belonged to the Avatar. A bitter young man that had failed the Air Nation as well as the woman he loved. Azula didn’t pity his agony, but she did look down on him for underestimating her. Azula wasn’t a weakling who could be defeated so easily. 

“No. No. No. No. No.” He chanted, holding her in such a tender way. Azula could only stare. The Avatar clearly loved her, but it was too late. Would anyone weep like that for her? Or would they rejoice that the Big Bad Monster was finally gone? What did she even achieve that was worthwhile? She destroyed Ba Sing Se, but that didn’t matter. Not when she was about to die because she was crazy.

The Avatar’s presence only meant one thing for Azula. Her father had failed. The man who harped on perfection and success had failed. It was so delicious, the irony of the situation. Ozai must’ve met a bitter end like she would. He had risen off of her and his own brother’s coattails, only to fail after awarding himself this grand title. People hadn’t really liked the new political structure, as it didn’t make sense to have both a Phoenix King and Fire Lord. But Ozai didn’t care as long as he achieved his goal. And now he was either dead or wishing he was. He made every patriot of the Nation embarrassed. This weakling dared to look down on Zuko during that Agni Kai. Now he would taste what eternal humiliation was like. She was pleased that she wouldn’t be the only one who would be killed by the Avatar.

The Avatar turned to her with raw hatred flashed in his eyes. That seemed to be the only look she could efficiently conjure from people without fail. That and fear. Why had no one ever looked at her with love or longing? Was it her fault that she only had Ozai as a mentor? Was she that repulsive? Probably. She did just murder her brother so she could be the best. What about that screamed vulnerability or loneliness? Her little victory was more childish than his ‘my honor’ spiel a couple years ago.

“You monster!” The Avatar shouted, eyes glowing in that powerful, familiar way that signified Azula should get ready to fight, but she’d been bleeding out on her knees next to the brother she had always wanted to know. The brother she wanted to connect with the most. Why hadn’t he ever loved her like he did anyone else? Strangers who tried to kill him received more love than her. She supposed that she would always be a monster to someone. If she wasn’t on the verge of dying, she would’ve struck him with lightning, but what would that achieve? She’d be inheriting a desecrated world with problems she’d been too ignorant to notice. A world deprived of Air benders, Water benders, and now Earth benders thanks to her family. Now she knew why Ursa called her a monster. The blood running through her veins could only be the blood that even Agni would destroy in a blink.

But she wouldn’t be Azula without having something to say. “Oh, get on with it, Avatar. You’ve won this meaningless battle with nothing to show for it.” She excelled at tearing people apart.

“Your family has destroyed this world for the last time!”

“Ah,” she said, swaying on her knees as she stood in all her pride and glory. “I thought you liked Zuzu. He spoke so highly of you, even if you did show up too late.”

The Avatar roared with indignant rage. He unleashed every element, and she could think of no better way to die than in battle. She was satisfied that she would be graced with such an extravagant death. Except the Avatar was in front of her, glaring into her eyes. “I will give you the fate your father suffers. I will take your bending that you’re so proud of. Your flames will never hurt anyone again!” He touched her head, and his face immediately scrunched up as her vision turned white.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Azula felt scorching hot, and imagined that Agni was burning her soul for the atrocities she committed for satisfaction and survival. It was either be a proud and powerful bender, or be a simpering noblewoman that was used and forgotten for other pleasures. There was more to life than killing and surviving until another day. Had Azula ever had fun? Maybe when she’d had her first kiss at Ember Island, but that was immediately overshadowed by everyone’s temper tantrums and what happened afterwards. 

“Awaken.” A deep voice said, and Azula’s eyes opened to a painful brightness. She clenched her eyes shut. “Perhaps it’s best you leave them close. Your darkness has clouded your vision, my granddaughter.”

Azula stiffened. His what now? Darkness? What was going on? She’d never had the opportunity to ascertain her lineage outside of Ozai’s line. This voice was nothing like her grandfather, Azulon. Surely if that man could make it to a place and could live peacefully, then Azula wouldn’t have any problem living peacefully either. Her sins paled compared to her father, uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Compared to them, she was an innocent maiden.

“Who?” She demanded, but kept her eyes closed. She didn’t need to be told twice. She didn’t want to know what the afterlife had in store for people like her who relished massacre. 

The voice snorted. “Every bit Sozin’s descendent. That arrogance almost had your soul obliterated by the Avatar. The world will heal… eventually, but you won’t live for that day.” The person placed a cool hand on her cheek that kept the harsh warmth away from her. “What have they done to you? What could your soul have possibly done to be given such a terrible fate? Fear not. I worked very hard to make things right. Don’t say your granddad doesn’t do anything for you.”

“Who are you?” She demanded desperately.

He patted her cheek, much like how her lazy, neglectful uncle used to do to Zuko. Even though it was stupid, it didn’t feel bad. Why was this person helping her? She hadn’t done anything to deserve it. She had killed people, and she had liked it.

“You’ll have plenty of time to learn about me. I’m going to help you. With my help, you’ll have more of a fighting chance.” He said, and Azula didn’t know why, but she believed that this stranger would help her. Maybe she was touch-starved, but his kindness and willingness to help her was something she desperately craved. How many times had she just wanted help? Just wanted to be close to someone, and have them look at her with love. Just one person. It felt amazing that she didn’t need to see to know this person cared about her. And it felt impossible.


	2. Chapter One

Azula didn’t know how long she had been… wherever this place was, but it’d been awhile. Not that she had anywhere else to be. She hadn’t gotten hungry the whole time she’d been here, but the man always gave her whatever she needed before she could formulate a way to ask for it. He kept repeating that he was her grandfather, and he wanted to be called granddad. He laughed and told jokes to her. He made her feel important, like she mattered. She still couldn’t see, but her granddad explained that it was because of the darkness surrounding her. She wondered if the darkness was a reflection of her soul. 

In the meantime, her granddad, who preferred “just granddad”, kept the voice of Ursa away, and helped her concentrate with the help of some _katas_. She almost forgot what it felt like to be alone in her head. It was strange to learn new _katas_ without being shown how to perform them. They helped her relax. Her bending had become easier to manipulate, more free and open, and that was surprising since she’d always been hailed as a master. Perhaps she had only been given the title because of her father and the color of her flames. 

She felt something smack the back of her head, stopping her mental rant. “Am I boring you, Zula?” He said, but it was filled with mirth. No matter how frustrating she was, he never got angry at her. He had created this world around them as if he wished that he could’ve done this a long time ago. 

“You couldn’t possibly be boring me. It’s very hard to concentrate when you can’t see anymore. I feel like I either want to sleep or think. I’ve got nothing but time to think about everything.” She explained in a haughty tone, but she didn’t mean it. 

“Hopefully, nothing but good thoughts. You’re doing so well, Zula.” He said proudly. He was proud of her, and there was no hidden meaning behind it. She didn’t have to kill or take over something to have him like her. 

“You can’t, honestly, believe that, granddad. I mean, you could’ve done this with…” _Zuko._ Her mind supplied weakly. She had tried very hard not to think about fighting her brother in an Agni Kai and actually winning. Zuko never would’ve killed her. He hadn’t come to kill her. Perhaps he did love her, or perhaps he didn’t want to be anything like his father. It changed nothing that she had succeeded in killing her brother. 

“Well, yes. I could’ve brought Zuko,” he candidly answered, and she winced; “but he was fully aware of how that fight might’ve ended. He had no qualms that things wouldn’t have ended nicely, even if he desired them to. But Zuko has had more than enough help to succeed. In his own way, he did. You, on the other hand, didn’t have proper guidance, even if you did learn well.” 

She snorted at that. “Then why don’t you get great-grandfather Sozin here? He would need rehabilitation more than me. He massacred the Air nation and Water tribes because of paranoia.” 

Her granddad sighed, exasperated. “I tried to help Sozin once. I actually died trying to save him, and I failed. But I won’t with you. I can’t fail you too.” 

She frowned. “So you’re trying to atone for failing great-grandfather through helping me?” 

He scoffed. “Nothing of the sort. I’m helping you because I’m your great grandfather. What granddad would want to watch his beautiful, capable great granddaughter drown into the abyss that was your father’s insanity?” 

Azula really did freeze now. _Your grandfather? Not my grandson?_ Was she just being overly sensitive? “A-are you Ur-my m-mother’s father?” 

He grunted. “Yes, I am.” 

She sweat dropped. Ursa's grandfather was helping her out? He knew everything about how she fell into destruction. Surely, he'd know how horrible she was to his granddaughter. Why was he helping her out then? “Who are you? What’s your name?” 

He paused. “I’ll tell you when you master that _kata_ I taught you a while ago. You’re almost there, and then I’ll explain everything you need to know.” 

She hated being denied all the information she needed to make conscious decisions, but her granddad hadn’t done her wrong. So what her granddad was from her mother’s side? It made sense, but Azula hadn’t wanted to admit it before. She knew Azulon and Sozin, but she knew nothing of her mother. Had Ursa truly watched her daughter become a true monster? Did she even remember or care? Was Ursa ever going to tell them that the Avatar had been their great grandfather? Azula shook her head before she received another smack to it. She would’ve dodged it, but her granddad was taking advantage of her lack of sight. 

She inhaled and exhaled deeply. She felt like she was weightless going through these _katas_. Everything was less restricted and free. Her limbs didn’t feel uncomfortably stiff, and she didn’t have to practice for hours to maintain her hairstyle for perfection. She didn’t have voices yelling at her about this or that. This feeling was like watching the Avatar become the Avatar and lay waste to everything around him. This feeling was like subjugating Ba Sing Se without lifting a finger. This feeling was like having Ty Lee hug her. 

Azula felt her throat constrict with the emotions of this freedom. The rebellion of these _katas_ made her feel like she’d committed a taboo and she loved it! She felt her granddad correct some of her stances, but she wasn’t bothered. She felt something similar to how she performed lightning bending and returned it, but this was less like ripping molecules into two, and more like having her existence become one with the air. 

She stiffened after she finished her last _kata_. “Am I learning air bending _katas_?” 

She felt her granddad pat her head. “And you’re doing so well. This level of mastery is satisfactory.” She ignored the small dissatisfaction that she felt from hearing the “compliment”. 

“For what? Where will I be going? You keep saying you want to help me, but where am I?” 

Her granddad sighed, exasperated with the age old question. “Azula, you’re in the Spirit World. When Aang was preparing to take your bending, I brought your spirit here. It was a good thing that I interfered. I saw how your future was going to be. I had to wait until your were close enough when Aang was in his Avatar form.” 

“How is that… possible?” 

He patted her cheek again. “I am Avatar Roku.” 

She froze when everything that meant crashed into her. Her granddad was an Avatar. The same Avatar she admired for lava bending; the Avatar that was Sozin’s friend. She had actually shattered the existence of the Avatar for no other reason than her father ordered it. Her mother was the grandchild of the Avatar. Her blue flames probably came from her granddad, and that’s why Ozai fixated on her so much. He had to have known, and that’s why he married Ursa. But what stood out the most was that her granddad - whom she never met - cared enough about her to stop the Avatar from hurting her, even when she really deserved it. It would explain why Zuko wasn’t here instead. Why would the Avatar need to undergo his Avatar form against a friend? 

“Why would you do this? I know I’m your great granddaughter, but I almost killed the Avatar on numerous occasions. You pulled me into the Spirit World for what reason? I can never go back there. Back to where I’ve murdered my brother for a weak, coward drunk from fear. Back to where I’ve hurt the Avatar, and everyone who barely tolerated me.” She admitted with regret. She had nothing to lose; so why would she bother with her useless pride? 

“I’m going to send you back in time. I’ve been saving up my essence to do this.” Before she could object - because that would mean her granddad, the only one to care for her would cease to exist - her granddad continued. “I have the perfect moment to send you back. A time before things went terribly wrong for both you and your brother. You can save lives, Azula. I believe in you.” 

She wished he wouldn’t believe in her so much. His faith was frightening. She couldn’t believe that he was planning on sending her back in time to save people and herself. He truly thought a handful of air bending katas and some quality therapy time would solve everything that was wrong with her? Whenever she was cornered, Azula had an amazing knack for reverting to her most familiar self, Crown Princess Azula, the double edged sword. The Conqueror of Ba Sing Se. She was the worst person to save anyone. She’d never had to do that before. 

Her life consisted of living for Ozai’s command and the people of the Fire Nation. Sometimes she wished she could be more like Zuko, and just listen to her heart rather than contemplating the logic behind her every action. 

Her granddad pulled her to him and tightly hugged her. She had only ever received Ty Lee’s hugs, which were amazing to experience, but weren’t hugs made from unconditional love. Not like her granddad’s hugs. His hugs meant the world to her. These hugs said what words didn’t. Her granddad loved her so much, he was willing to erase his existence from the paradise that was the Spirit World. Erasing himself from the Avatar cycle, damning this world’s Avatar to being a mere man, for her. She wasn’t worth all this. 

“You will be fine because I believe in you. You won’t disappoint me. Even if you flounder around cluelessly, I know you’ll remember how much I love you and how much I prepared you to help yourself. This time, you’ll have a fighting chance to not perish under the weight of your thoughts. Just go through your _katas_ and loosen up a bit. I want you to help save the world, but I also want you to have a little fun.” Of course he would throw in that he loved her. Of course he would actually care enough to save her. She felt her throat constrict and her eyes burn from the overwhelming emotions. She truly hoped that she wouldn’t disappoint him. The first person to truly want her to succeed for her and no one else. 

“When do I have to leave?” She whispered in resignation. Suddenly she wished she hadn’t said anything. Maybe she would still have more time with him. She would have to leave the Spirit World regardless. It was scary thinking that she would forever be denied going to the Spirit World. She would forever be denied the chance to meet her granddad like this. There was a reason the darkness surrounding her wouldn't let her see. She wasn't meant to come to such a place. 

“Very soon, Zula. I’m sorry we couldn’t spend more time together, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t still be watching over you.” 

She snorted bitterly. “How can you watch over me if your essence is going to be erased?” This is all her fault. A great person, and Avatar, was about to be destroyed from existence because she was evil. Because she had listened to her father. Because she was obviously blinded with her father's false affection and broken promises. Because she had willfully agreed with every monstrosity Ozai presented. Because she thought her obedience would spare her from being a worthless waste like Zuko. It turned out that even if Zuko hadn’t been respected by her father, he had still reached levels her talent and hardwork would never grant her. 

“You’ll be travelling through time. Where you go, I’ll still be there.” He said gently, and she was confused by how to feel. 

“But you won’t be…” She didn’t try to finish that sentence. She just accepted that her granddad would be someone completely different the next time they meet, if they meet again. Hopefully, it’ll be under better terms. 

“I might not be myself, but that doesn’t change anything because I’ll still love you.” He said it, as if admitting his loving her was the easiest thing to do. As if he loved her long before she fell into depravity. He was so shameless in sharing his affection that it sometimes bothered her, but she’d rather spend the rest of her existence blind and imperfect than ask her granddad to stop existing for her. 

Azula really didn’t know what to do with his affection. She felt inadequate in comparison. She was sure that Zuko had never felt this out of depth when being shown affection. Who didn’t fear, and want to kill, Azula at some point? Who didn’t dread having to see her face if they were a servant or a friend? The only one to even remotely tolerate her existence with a smile of their face was Ty Lee, and she had attacked Azula. Ty Lee had despised Azula after Azula killed Mai. She didn’t think Ty Lee had ever truly despised anyone. Classic Azula; always doing the impossible. 

She wished she could open her eyes and see her granddad’s face. What did she look like in Spirit form? What was his smile like? Would Zuko have any problems opening his eyes here? Or was she the only one who couldn’t see? It would make sense that she would be denied something so simple as sight. 

“Okay.” She replied, simply because she didn’t know what else to say, but she just wanted to hear his voice for as long as she could. She should really be happier. She would have a chance to wipe her hands clean of her father’s blemish on her. She would have a chance to reconnect with the brother she always wanted to know. In her own way, Azula tried very hard to show affection like normal people did, but she was too stubborn to be so vulnerable. Now, she had no pride to brag of. She would no longer carry around the title of “The Conqueror of Ba Sing Se” as if enslaving people and espionage were a mantle of honor to be proud of. She would save as many lives as she could to make up for the lives she took without hesitation. 

She felt arms wrap around her shoulders, and she leaned into the warmth of the embrace. This person was giving her another chance, and she wouldn’t disappoint him. Her main objective was saving her brother and the people she had killed. Then maybe she would help the Avatar defeat her father as his fire bending teacher. She could do at least that much after she robbed him the future he would’ve had with the water tribe peasant. 

“It’s time to go, Zula. I know you’ll make me proud. I also know that you’ll do the right thing as often as you can. Just remember that it’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to feel lost. That’s what your friends are going to be there for. That’s what these _katas_ are for, thinking and finding peace within yourself.” He pat her head after releasing her. 

Azula felt the world around her shift as she gradually got colder, losing her granddad’s warmth, possibly forever. She wanted to ask if she could see him again before she left, visit the Spirit World herself to see him, but she was too afraid the answer would be “no”. She would have to work hard to clean her hands of the atrocities they had participated in. To be worthy of coming to the Spirit World and seeing her granddad’s face. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Azula opened her eyes, she could feel the sun rising. All fire benders had an internal clock that woke with the sun. Quickly, Azula went to the mirror. She had to know how far back she’d been sent, or if her being sent back was only until she was ordered to hunt her brother or go to Ba Sing Se. She would manage either way, but it’d be harder to convince her brother that she wasn’t a monster. From childhood he’d staunchly believed the worst in her, even if she hadn’t even tried to be her absolute worse. 

She saw the youthful face with her boyish attire. She would have to be 10-12. Her face was no longer gaunt with mental illness and sleep deprivation. Her hair was still glossy, and not torn and disarrayed. She had always dressed like a man to remind her father how much better than Zuko she was; to measure up to Ozai’s “greatness”, and prove her gender didn’t matter when considering the line of succession. However, Ozai never had any intentions of giving her anything but broken, empty promises to quell the desire to conquer. She was positive she could kill Ozai as she now was, but that wouldn’t change her age or her political power. Ozai didn’t rule with an iron fist because he was strong; he ruled because of his political power. Without Ozai in control, everything he worked on would create a vacuum that would destroy the economy and structure of the Fire Nation. Azula would have to adapt to the times, and make her presence known. This time she wouldn’t. 

She grabbed her chest in pain from the thought of losing her granddad forever. He would have to exist still, since it was the past. Without her granddad, the Avatar cycle would be destroyed. He would never risk that for her, and she would never ask him to. 

A soft knock hit the door, and a woman’s voice called from the other side. “Princess Azula. His highness, Crown Prince Zuko, wishes to speak with you.” Azula’s heart was gripped with pain again. 

If Zuko was still here, then she was either 10 or 11. He had lost that sham of an Agni Kai when he was 13. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to witness such a farce again. Should she prevent the incident from happening? Should she change the future so drastically right from the beginning? Except if she took this away from her brother, then she would also be taking his identity from him. Zuko had only became an accomplished man because he’d been away from Ozai to flounder about and flourish. Zuko needed quality time to understand who he was, and what supporting the Fire Nation meant. It was her turn to learn the same. 

“You may enter.” Azula replied on auto-pilot. The door opened to a maid bowing with Zuko behind her. He didn’t pay the maid much attention after he entered Azula’s room with smug pride on his face. 

“Because I am an adult now, I will be allowed to participate in war meetings.” He sounded so smug that Azula wanted to burst into heart-wrenching laughter, but knowing that his wide eyed innocence would be forcibly butchered by Ozai made her stomach churn in disgust. She simply looked down. How could she have found amusement in hoping for Zuko's failure? How could she have found amusement in Zuko being disfigured? 

Zuko had stepped into her personal space, and touched her shoulder. “What’s the matter, Zula? Did you hear anything?” He looked worried and tentative. She _did_ overhear Ozai wanting to murder Zuko for a title. 

She needed to keep her silence about the horrors that her brother would face, but she opened her mouth to say something. Anything to make him know she cared for him. Cared enough to not let him suffer alone like he had last time. 

“Those meetings…” She tried, but failed. What could she possibly say? _I know the future; please, don't go._

“What about them? Are you just messing with me?” Zuko said in disbelief and disappointment. Azula shook her head minutely. 

“Those meetings are serious, Zuko. You can’t speak out of turn. No matter how much you feel that something is wrong, you cannot interrupt anything.” 

Zuko frowned. “How do you know? You’ve never been to a meeting before. You’re just trying to scare me so I embarrass myself. This is just Classic Azula.” Zuko sneered. “To think I actually thought… liar.” He grumbled, and then left the room with all of his anger and indignation. 

Azula had no room to become offended because Zuko would only repeat history, and she deserved all of it. If she had behaved anything like she did in her first life, she would’ve tricked Zuko and felt no remorse when she was proven right. She wished Zuko would have listened to her. She wished that she could eliminate Ozai now, and spare Zuko the pain and humiliation. 

She wished that Iroh would be able to persuade her brother into avoiding the war meetings, but she knew that even when Zuko and Iroh had been on the road, Zuko had still been stubborn with his life choices. His journey for redemption and self-respect had taken him years. No amount of flippant affection and vague concern would curve Zuko’s disgust towards her that easily. 

Azula, inconspicuously, followed after Zuko in his attempt of staying angry. He marched towards the war room, steps becoming hesitant after inch gained. It wasn’t like Zuko wouldn’t weigh in on what she had said. Azula had an amazing ability of getting under people’s skin. She doubt her granddad's _katas_ could change that about her. 

When she saw Zuko enter the meeting room, she pressed her ear to the wall. The usual spiel about how intelligent and great the Fire Lord commenced. She remembered once eating those compliments up; since she never remembered having enough compliments for everything she did unless it was Ty Lee. And Azula thinks, at one point, Ty Lee had truly thought the world of her, but it all dissolved into nothingness as Azula proved to be the female copy of her father with every act of cruelty. 

She heard the exact sentences leading up to her brother’s humiliation and scarring. She knew the very reason that Ozai even invited Zuko was only to demoralize him. Her father had never put Zuko in his eyes, and even to the crazy old man’s last moments, he’d never thought of Zuko as anything worth mentioning. 

She heard the muffled voice of her brother speaking against their father’s unnecessary cruelty and heard her uncle’s voice try and pull the boy back. However, it was already too late for her brother as he had cross the metaphorical line of Ozai’s patience. 

Hearing Ozai challenge her 13-year-old brother to an Agni Kai disgusted her to no end. Azula was a woman fire bending master. She knew what being disadvantaged and being looked down on felt. She wished she could lie and say she didn’t know why her brother’s downfall had been such a happy memory for her. She knew it was because her brother’s "fall" from grace meant that she would be the first woman Fire Lord. That, for once, everyone would respect that a woman was, undoubtedly, superior. That she would become greater than everyone else in her family. Taking down Ba Sing Se made her ego skyrocket. 

She had to suffer through the event of her frightened brother being challenged by someone rumored to be one of the strongest benders. What a joke. Her father was nothing if it wasn’t for her hard work and obedience. She made him become feared. 

Azula snuck into the arena, hanging in the back in trepidation. She watched her brother assume the saddest stance as Ozai took the challenge to his own pathetic honor seriously. How could anyone remember this moment as anything but a farce? How could she have not seen this moment as a permanent reminder that she was only tolerated due to her usefulness? She watched the moment as her brother begged, and she forced herself to watch with clenched fists. Azula wanted to save him from the nightmare of seeing his burnt face for the rest of his life, but she watched all the same. 

After the burst of flame attacked her brother, Azula cringed from the scream that Zuko unleashed. Her chest seemed to squeeze in anxiety and fear for her brother. Did it look worse than before? She saw that her father was actually going to kill Zuko, even after he marred Zuko’s face. Ozai had only marred her brother's face in her past. He hadn't tried kill his spawn, although that made sense as this was an Agni Kai. However, Zuko was still a crown prince. So Azula tried her father’s patience and did the unthinkable: she interfered. 

“Father.” She called in a unperturbed toned voice. She couldn’t sound frantic or worried. Caring meant pain to Ozai. Anyone that showed the weakness of trusting someone and worrying about them was doomed to be like Ursa. She felt, rather than saw, everyone hold their breaths from the fear of potentially seeing both of the Fire Lord’s heirs murdered from disobedience, but Azula wasn’t afraid. Her flames roared in anticipation and challenge. She no longer feared disappointing her father and not being perfect. She only feared disappointing her granddad who gave his soul for her redemption. 

She stepped into the fighting area, but it was no longer a sanctified place; her paternal family had steadily desecrated any honor the Fire Nation once had with genocide and arrogance. Her uncle followed behind her, probably happy to have a reason to stop the charade. She wanted to say something scathing about him hiding behind an 11-year-old; of being a coward that didn't dare defy his younger, weaker brother. 

Ozai subtly turned, prepared to punish Azula for her interruption. “You dare to interfere?” His tone was steely, but it was also incredulous as he glanced at her, but slightly narrowed his eyes at Iroh. Ozai must’ve known he was outmatched and outclassed. Azula may be 11 at the moment, but she was superior to him; he wasn’t dumb enough to not know that. Iroh outshined him in every possible way since Ozai’s birth. 

“You have proven you are Fire Lord and should not be disrespected, but there is no honor in killing your own spawn, father.” Azula said, lazily gesturing to the maids to swiftly take Zuko while Ozai’s attention was still on her. Old Azula would never speak out of turn; she’d been conditioned to always adhere to Ozai's command, but Old Azula hadn’t experienced something like her brother being gravely injured before, and so her doing this now wasn’t too suspicious. Everyone would assume her previous behavior towards Zuko was simply from being stubborn about her feelings. 

“Would you rather take his place?” He said shifting into his usual intimidation _katas_. He exaggerated every fire bending _kata_ to overcompensate for his lack of strength and inferiority complex. However, everything Azula was didn’t come from Ozai’s close monitoring. 

She considered just killing her father, but the Avatar wasn’t ready yet; her brother wasn’t ready yet; she wasn't ready yet. Nothing about the condition of the world would change without the Avatar for multiple reasons: the Avatar was an air bender; he was a major victim of the Fire Nation’s plight, and with his approval of the Fire Nation’s new Fire Lord, people would be less hostile. It wouldn’t change what her family had ordered, but it would make the water tribe less likely to fight first and ask questions later. Azula wouldn’t blame them for their anger either. 

But Azula wasn’t one to back from a challenge. She wouldn’t bend to his “might”. “If you find me a more worthy opponent, then how could I refuse the Fire Lord’s generous offer?” She fell into the _katas_ that freed her mind from its shackles, and realized that she didn’t fear her father. Before, even if she didn’t show it, her father’s anger pointed at her would still her heart. 

Of course her father didn’t recognize her stance, and so he was alert and perhaps suspicious. He was probably rethinking how much of a threat to his reign she could become. But she would never be so predictable. She learned manipulation from one of the best, after all. 

“Don’t make promises you can’t deliver. You sound as disappointing as your uncle. Take the failure then. If he ever wants to return before me, he should return with the Avatar.” Although he didn’t smirk, that statement was riddled with ridicule. He was such a coward to flee from her only with some psychological attack. That was just like him. 

Azula tore her eyes from her father’s retreating back to see that Zuko had already been taken from the ground and her uncle was nowhere to be seen. Of course he left her to face Ozai alone. He was as much of a coward as his brother. He hadn’t intervened until she had, and he left her to face her “scary” father alone. Azula had to struggle to remember that she would, at least, always have her granddad. At least he hadn’t abandoned her. It was hard not to feel bitter over the reminder that she would always be cast aside. 

“Where is my brother?” She turned to the nobles observing every movement between her and her father. They were nobles, after all. They were opportunists as well. They knew that one day, they would have to choose between her and Ozai, since Zuko had been disowned and would be legally disowned from the line of succession soon. When the fight for power between her and Ozai began, they would have to choose a side or die for not choosing - if her father were to miraculously win. 

A man, Prime Minister Qin, spoke up. Prime Minister Qin’s actions made it clear to Azula that despite her age, she had powerful allies. Someone like a Prime Minister supported her, and it wasn’t only out of fear. She felt like she was already taking steps to save the Fire Nation from her family’s lunacy. And perhaps she could find the Avatar and collaborate to save the world. 

Azula inwardly shook her head at herself. She was being too idealistic. She would leave that to Zuko. 

“Prince Iroh took Cr… P-Prince Zuko to the prince’s quarters.” He bowed before her, and she felt the usual thrill of power go straight to her head. She wanted to allow herself this moment to recharge her self-esteem, but her power trip hadn’t turned out so well the last time. Old habits were hard to break. 

Other nobles bowed as well, covertly stepping closer to Qin. Subtly giving her more support. It was either support the monster who marred his son and ran from his daughter, or the child that defied the monster who hurt her brother. She was probably the second person of her family who went against her father, but unlike her uncle, she wouldn’t let grief stop her from ending the violence that caused it. She had lost everything in her first tour in life. She wouldn’t run from the responsibility she had as a Crown Princess again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Azula never killed Mai, but since this Azula was in an alternate universe, then everything is going to be out of order and wonky.


	3. Chapter Two

Azula walked swiftly to her brother's quarters. It'd been two days since he was disgraced, and a day since he was publicly disowned. Her father had continued with his usual routine, which was unsurprising. The other nobles watched her closely, perhaps wondering and hoping that she wouldn't be a carbon copy of her father or his spy. Azula arrived at her brother's door, but was kept away from the comatosed Zuko by doctors. For the past couple days, she had taken to busying herself with observing the nation she frequently boasted of. For someone as talented as her, she was truly blind. 

Stepping out of the palace was the best thing she could’ve done to have the gravity of her mission really sink in. This was the capital of the Fire Nation, the glory of the Fire Nation. However, all she saw was poverty and crime. The state of her nation made her past life’s ovations seem like a cruel joke. Taxes were impossible. No one, not even more middle tier noblemen, could afford to buy food. The food looked so small and unappetizing. Was this truly how things had been? The Earth Kingdom ate better than her people, and while she had never visited the Northern water tribe, she was sure they provided better for their people too. The capital was also unsanitary.

Azula remembered that she hadn’t heard of any outbreak of diseases while she chased her uncle and the Avatar. But she also hadn’t heard that her people were hurting to eat. Obviously things had gotten better when the Earth Kingdom had been plundered and pillaged. She had brought home food, slaves, and riches. Azula hadn’t realized that she had mindlessly saved her nation. Did they love her for ending the fight and stealing from their “enemy”, or did they see her as her grandfather? Did they fear her more? She remembered a lot of happy cheering when she had returned. Surely they were thankful someone solved the food shortage.

Azula had mixed feelings about her victory. Taking down Ba Sing Se couldn’t be the only way to successfully stabilize the cost of living. She knew that lowering the insanely obnoxious taxes was the best possible way to ensure stability, but she would have to see the Minister of Finance, and she didn’t know if he was in Ozai’s pocket. It would make sense for him to profit from the thievery of the common people. What was the money going towards? Was it supporting the century long war? Was it refurbishing the palace? What meaningless fluff was that money going towards?

Azula zoned back into reality. She was bogged down by too many thoughts. There was so much she had to quickly do. Walking back to her courtyard, she realized that she would have to begin unsettling her father’s power of the Fire Nation now. She had to see if she could dethrone her father on her own. Originally, it had taken the Avatar until Sozin’s Comet to do anything. That was too far into the future. Too many people would be slaughtered by then. She couldn’t afford to wait for someone to save her. She couldn't afford to wait so long for her brother to mature. 

Azula went to her field and practiced her _katas_ in silence. Silence used to be grating on her ears. She would become absorbed in thoughts of conquering and placating her paranoid father. Now, she was able to disconnect her obsessive thoughts with being calm.

She could feel her granddad’s approving eyes and hear his boisterous laughter. He would praise her on finding her own footing, and lament on her future endeavors. Endeavors he knew he wouldn’t be able to see, but he was proud all the same. 

She had once thought air bending as cowardly. A way to dodge and run away from all issues. She would mock that the _katas_ and their peaceful lifestyle was why they had deserved to die. But now she understood that it their lifestyle was about connecting to the essence of the Spirit world. 

She felt like she was becoming closer to being calm, of accepting her flaws and working on improving herself. She felt the fire within her become languid and free. She felt her flames grow stronger and more compliant with her desires. She felt closer to understanding her flames. Her flames had once been a blue weapon that powerfully subdued all of her enemies, but they had to be beaten into submission and she could never quite master every _kata_ before her. It took her even longer to manipulate them because of her drive for perfection. She hadn’t understood that her flames were a part of her soul, that her bending was a part of her in a more spiritual than physical way.

“You seem to be doing much better in your training, Azula.” She heard a voice say behind her. Azula finished the _katas_ as if she hadn’t been jolted out of her therapy. She turned to look at her uncle Iroh standing with a smile on his face. A smile full of hopeful pride. Pride that she didn’t think he earned to have. He hadn’t done anything to earn that smile towards her. However, the bitterness didn’t consume her as much as it would've before when she was jealous of Zuko always having someone. Now she just wondered why it took her defying Ozai for him to care about her.

Her uncle, now that she vaguely remembered, had tried to help her when she was younger. Albeit he didn’t try more than twice, and he didn’t try very hard. He tried all the same, and that’s more than anyone else in her life. She could quite accept that he cared all of a sudden. He probably wanted something.

She didn’t respond to his comment. What could she say? ‘Why yes, I died and learned a new style of bending’ or ‘yes, I’ve been told I’m very good’. One sounded impossible and the other sounded arrogant. While Azula was arrogant, she imagined that the praise wasn’t wholeheartedly innocent.

When Iroh saw she hadn’t fallen into lowering her guard around him, he sighed and visibly sagged with dejection. Actions like that made it hard for her to connect with him. He behaved too friendly, too open. She imagined he behaved like an actual father would, but she hadn’t been exposed to such concern outside of her granddad and maybe Ty Lee.

“Two days ago…” He began just to trail off and sigh. “What you did was very brave of you, Azula. You standing up to your father for your brother took a lot of bravery. I’m ashamed that you were placed in that situation in the first place. But I’m proud of you all the same. Your brother woke for a while about an hour ago. I thought it best to tell you, in case you wanted to see him. I think you should. Your name was the first thing he called.”

Azula’s heart seized in her chest. Was this a form of emotional manipulation? Grandfather Azulon had taught his sons well in the art of manipulation. Was her uncle trying to persuade her to bond with Zuko? Was he trying to lure her into a trap? _Was he lying?_

She needed for those words to be true. She needed to know that she had a chance at saving her brother and their relationship. Her brother had be spared the insanity of their family, and even though he hated her when they were younger, he hadn’t hated her even when she killed him. He looked at her in pity and disappointment. That look cut her remaining shreds of sanity. Her brother… did he actually care for her? Could she atone for killing someone who hadn’t given up on her, even in his last moments?

She looked to her uncle, feeling vulnerable and despising her uncle for making her like this. Was he enjoying watching her be this hesitant and confused? He probably was. When had he ever been nice to her? 

Azula had to rein in the negative thoughts again. That was her paranoia and selective memory speaking. Her uncle had tried a lot for her. He and Zuko had tried numerous times to make her see the truth. Iroh wasn’t like Ozai. He wouldn’t betray her for a boost in power. He wouldn’t use her. She wasn’t so different from Zuko. Maybe he could even care about her too.

“Really?” She asked quietly, clenching her fist near her stomach. She had to be brave. She had to try and change the mistakes she made before. She had to try and take chances. She wouldn’t always be right, her granddad assured her that he didn’t demand perfection from her, he just asked her to try and live happily. Azula could try that.

Iroh straightened with hope shining in his eyes. “Of course.” He gave her a goofy smile that she had once scowled at. “Do you want me to go with you?”

She wanted to immediately snap that she wasn’t a child. Old Azula would do that in a heartbeat, and all of her insecurities were showing. She wanted to snap at him that could do this, but she was too nervous to reject the sentiment. She was doing something completely different from her past self. Would Zuko think she somehow instigated the whole incident because of her previous warning? Would he be mad that she hadn’t saved him sooner? It was her fault that she didn't stop him from being hurt, but she hardly thought he'd come to understand why he'd been disfigured.

“Yes.” She almost mumbled. Azula took her first step forward and felt her flames bounced inside her with happiness. Her flames were unbridled. Her flames had always been happiest when she deviated from Ozai’s strict orders. She could feel their joy and how eager they were to go onward.

She followed her uncle who easily walked beside her. She cast him looks from the side of her eyes. She wanted to be closer to him. She wanted to also achieve that freedom and contentedness that Zuko had before she ruined everything. She wanted to have someone who worried for her, who wasn’t afraid of correcting her when she was wrong. Someone who was like her granddad. Was she using Iroh to replace him? She didn’t think so. Azula just wanted to be loved.

“Uncle.” She called, feeling bubbly from calling him and having nothing malicious come from the title. But Iroh had latched onto Zuko because he lost his son, Lu-Ten. Azula had once made jokes of his son’s death. A hollow feeling appeared in her stomach. No wonder her uncle hadn’t really wanted to be near her. She had made fun of her own cousin, his deceased son merely days after his death. She was so heartless and malicious to attack her uncle over something like that. What made her feel worse was that that wasn't even the worst thing she'd done to her uncle.

“Yes?” He answered, tilting his head towards her. 

Her strength was waning from what she had to do. She would have to apologize for her past stupidity and ignorance. Of course she didn’t know what love felt like. Of course she didn’t understand what loss felt like. However, she did now. She had to at least apologize for being a terrible niece, a terrible person.

“I’m…” She breathed in deep and made the first step towards actual redemption. She stopped to face her uncle. Saving her nation wasn’t enough. She had wronged everyone in her life to achieve that empty title of worthless pride. Making things right started with her admitting her wrongs and asking for forgiveness. “I’m sorry.”

She continued on, taking her eyes off of her uncle. The man who could help her journey, and probably would help her regardless of her apology. “I’m sorry for belittling you every chance I got. I’m sorry for disrespecting Lu-Ten and what he meant to you. I didn’t understand. How could I have possibly understood how much my ignorance hurt you? And yet you still smiled at me. You never once blamed me for being so terrible to you. And I’m sorry for it. You shouldn’t have had to try so hard to simply speak with me.” She said in a slightly trembling voice, but she bit her lip, resisting the urge to stare into her uncle’s face. She knew she would only see derision from her apology. How could those words be enough? He had lost his wife, son, and father.

She felt his arms wrap around her, and while they could never be as warm as her granddad's, they did make her felt less shaky. Maybe she was feeling protected? But she had never felt protected before. That would imply that she trusted someone to have her back no matter what. She hadn’t even felt that way with Ozai or Ty Lee.

“Of course I was never mad at you, Azula. I know it must’ve taken a lot for you to apologize.” He pulled back and smile at her with watery eyes. “I don’t know what brought this change, but I’m happy it happened. You seem so much lighter. I can see you taking things in life more seriously. I accept your apology, but I hope you’ll always know that your comments didn’t change that I have always loved you.”

There was that word again. Love. It was much more achievable this time around. Two people said they loved her! Two people, granted they were family, cared about her well-being and wished for her success. Two people who knew her flaws, but didn’t shun her for them. She wanted to act as silly as Ty Lee; to grasp this moment and scream that someone loved her.

She held on tighter. She couldn’t hug her granddad, and she didn’t know what happened with her uncle the last life around. She was just thankful that she could work on being closer to her family. Work on being a better person who was worthy of having her granddad, the Avatar, ceasing to exist for her. Worthy of having people love her.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Azula stood outside Zuko’s room. He was slipping in and out of consciousness, so she might miss him. He might not even be awake. She could possibly postpone the awkward conversation. After apologizing to her uncle, Azula felt really drained of energy. Her flames still bounced as excitable as ever, but she was emotionally exhausted. She didn’t even have the energy to imagine up scenarios about how her meeting would go. She wanted to skip the whole thing, but that would mean that Zuko was still in a coma.

She saw her uncle look eager to see her interact with Zuko. She was a little nervous that he would somehow be disappointed in her if she were to show signs of regressing into her old ways. She would probably practice her _katas_ more often after this conversation. She couldn’t afford to get complacent.

Azula opened the door and was disheartened to see that Zuko was still sleeping. She wished he would have been awake. Then she would’ve been able to just resolve everything that was happening and follow Zuko’s lead. 

Regardless of how this moment between them went, she would have to ensure that her brother had what he needed to survive without the protection of being a prince. It would be like pouring cold water on a person who was sleeping. The shock of reality would take a moment for him to adapt to. Zuko had always been slow to catch on to how things went. In her past life, Zuko had traveled without a boat, and met up with their uncle after two years of being without any of the soldiers who were exiled with him. His travels hadn't been something he wanted to boast about.

Her uncle continued to smile at her. “Don’t worry. The doctors say he’ll be better in a day or so. I’m going to give you some privacy.” He said quickly and escaped to leave her in an awkward predicament.

Azula was left to watch her brother as he slept with bandages all over his face. A face that was once unmarred, and would have remained that way had Azula done something to stop him. But she knew it was better this way. Zuko needed to be banished from the Fire Nation. How else would he grow into the man he became? How else would he be free from Ozai’s oppressive power over him? Only this would have worked for her brother. He needed to be so thoroughly disillusioned with Ozai before he began his journey to being a better man. She still hated to see it though.

Azula didn’t know how long she simply sat and stared at Zuko in silence. She didn’t think she had seen her brother so much in all the time they’d been together their past lifetime. This wasn’t the brother she was supposed to know, but she’d get to know him all the same. Maybe she could help him on his journey. How often would she have the opportunity to be a little sister? Zuko had never treated her like family, and with the way she’d been, she wasn’t surprised. 

“Z-Zula?” A groggy voice called her, and she immediately whipped her head towards the voice. Zuko’s golden eye squinted towards her. He reached his hand towards her, and she hesitantly grabbed it. 

“Zuzu.” She said, and felt childish. The nickname that had mocked him for so many years was an endearment to her now. 

His eyes flashed and he jumped into a sitting position. He grimaced but ignored the pain as he roamed his eyes all over her with a scrunched forehead. “Did he hurt you?” The voice sounded dangerous. A voice that didn’t belong from Zuko’s mouth. It was a voice she felt oddly comforted about and supremely worried about.

“He didn't do anything.” _As if he could do something to me._ He was too much of a coward to challenge a prodigy that made her lineage look pathetic. But her talent and skill hadn't meant anything compared to what really mattered.

Zuko must've learned his mannerisms from their uncle because he visibly drooped in relief. “He wouldn't dare attack you.” He whispered, clutching her hand harder.

She didn't know if that was a compliment or not. Did he mean that she was Ozai’s favorite and that was why he wouldn’t dare? Or because of her strength? She wished she was less nervous. Old Azula would’ve asked right away or manipulated Zuko into telling her what that meant. 

“And you're sure he hasn’t done something or said anything?” Zuko asked, visibly straining to remain upright. Azula nodded and gently pushed him back down. 

“I’m fine. Ozai wishes he could scare me.” She said, momentarily forgetting that she would’ve called Ozai ‘father’ rather than his name, but he did just burn Zuko’s face. He didn’t deserve the title. 

Zuko looked surprised and oddly happy at her statement. Azula remembered when she had laughed about Ozai trying to kill Zuko. She remembered that it was Ursa who took the threat, that Azula had dismissed, seriously. If their mother hadn’t done so, Azula wouldn’t have this moment. Perhaps that’s just what mothers are supposed to do.

“I’m happy you’re safe, but you can’t do that.” He said, looking into her eyes, something he’d never done outside of challenging her. “You saw what he did to me for simply speaking up. You’ll be safer if you don’t disobey him too often.”

She wanted to scoff. “You don’t have to worry about me.” Was this what she had been feeling herself? Worry? It was an uncomfortable feeling. She didn’t know why people lauded being able to suffer an emotion like this so often. Why were parents known as worriers? If her parents had been like those parents, then she would be less of a trouble for them. This feeling was terrible.

Azula sat straighter. “You have to leave soon. Ozai’s patience runs thin. He won’t gift you anything for your journey to find the Avatar. But, rest assured, I have prepared everything for you.”

Zuko simply blinked at the ceiling. His hand reached for his bandaged eye, and his hand trembled as it drew nearer to his face. He touched his face and winced painfully. Azula expected she would never truly know what this exact moment means to Zuko. She could only infer that he’d been wracked with worry for her, he had conveniently forgotten that his face had been burned and he was now disowned.

What was going through his head? Was it fear? Anger? Loss? Agony?

Zuko’s eyes watered, and he bit his lip hard to stop the onslaught of tears. Azula remembered that when Zuko had originally be burnt, he didn’t allow anyone near him. He must’ve gone through this moment alone in her last lifetime and that made her stomach clench in anger. Anger towards Ozai who would punish his own son because Ozai was a pathetic, weak bastard who made his wife kill his father. Ozai connived against his brother because he was too weak to win in an Agni Kai. 

She felt nothing but hatred towards the man who ruined so many lives; the man that seduced her with fake paternal love. Together they had destroyed the world and all of its inhabitants. She clenched her fists, and inhaled sharply. 

Zuko was falling apart and she had been the one to allow it to happen. Of course she had allowed herself to let this happen because she wasn’t there to witness what her brother suffered. Once again, Azula disregarded everyone else in her selfish quest.

Azula hesitantly reached for Zuko, and before she could withdraw her hand from the guilt, Zuko latched onto her. He clung to her as if she were their mother. As if she were someone who would protect him from the monster that shared their DNA. Azula wasn’t that person, and her recent actions only screamed that she wouldn’t change the future unless it benefited her. Not even a week in the past and already she had made a tremendous mistake.

She pulled away from Zuko and then stared into his eyes. “You will be fine. You will achieve your goal. And when you come here, Ozai’s false perceptions of honor won’t matter to you anymore. When you return, you will be that much closer to being a true fire bender that Ozai can only dream of being. You will be fine. I swear it.” She said to him.

Azula wouldn’t allow anything different to happen. If it was either her or her brother, she would choose her brother. Perhaps he would grant that future that she shallowly dreamed of. Peace sounded perfect, even if she was sure she wouldn’t get to see it.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko had departed with their uncle who wished her luck by herself. Zuko promised to send a messenger hawk to communicate with her. He looked more worried that she was staying than him going into the world half-cocked. 

Azula had plans, however. She meditated through her _katas_ and started thinking through her next course of action. She couldn’t allow anymore tragedies to befall people simply because she believed they should. She could’ve found another way to send Zuko away. She could’ve done something, but it was over now. She had gotten closer to her brother and uncle, but it couldn’t erase the overwhelming guilt she felt for letting her brother be hurt so badly. 

However, while Zuko was exploring the world for the next Avatar, the Fire Nation would be impoverished. She needed to find a long-term solution to the abject starvation and crime rate before the battle of the Northern water tribe. While that sounded like a while away, it wasn’t in terms of politics. She needed to get in contact with the Minister of Finance and making policies that was beneficial to the people and the nobles. She would make sure that Ozai was inferior to her in not only fire bending but also in politics. She would make her people proud to be apart of the Fire Nation.

Azula wanted to go into town again with her personal maid. She wanted to go with just the one, to hear an outside opinion on the condition of the Fire Nation. What did the common man say about the Fire Nation?

The maid, Renna, was trembling while walking beside Azula. “Your highness? Your highness called for this maid.” She bowed deeply to Azula, probably catering to Azula’s ego to appease her.

“Renna. You may call me Yuan while we’re out. We’re going to the city.” She announced, and Renna quietly gasped.

“I need to know what people truly think of the Fire Nation. You’re a palace maid. Surely you know condition of the Fire Nation through your experience and gossip. Whereas I am fed the textbook spiel of our greatness. Tell me: is living in the Fire Nation enjoyable to anyone who doesn’t work in the palace?”

Renna trembled. She dared to raise her head, and looked deeply at Azula. She must’ve found something worth trusting because she nodded. “This servant will be honest with her Highness. The Fire Nation has been in a massive decline for many decades. The Fire Nation receives its income through colonial takeovers from the war. The war has been heavily declining the population, and with the rise of taxes in the capital, a lot of people are shipping out to the war front and being dishonorably discharged to only come back and terrorize the citizens. Ex-soldiers, no matter if they were discharged dishonorably or not, are allowed a tax deduction. It’s how the empire gets recruits.”

Azula, of course, had an inkling of what was actually happening, but she didn’t know so many specifics. The Fire Nation only received income through the annexation of property? Then what were any of the people in the shops contributing to? Who even bought anything here? How had the capital survived until she had taken Ba Sing Se?

“Where does the food come from?”

Renna continued obediently. “Through the colonies. The colonies supply the food that goes to the noble in charge of the district. The nobleman then gives the food supply as a tax to the Fire Nation. However, a large majority of the food only goes to the palace. The remaining food goes to nobles, and then the remnants go to the capital citizens. Most noblemen keep quiet about that deal, but the Minister of Affairs Pli would know about the deal.”

So there was such a deep rooted scam surrounding her nation and she was oblivious. More negligence that made her patriotic spiel seem like a cruel joke to her citizens. 

“Who is the Minister of Finance?”

Renna nodded. “Minister of Finance Ruo. He replaced the last minister who joined the war front. Of course it was only to avoid the scandal of him having a mistress who happened to be from the Earth Kingdom. Her and her child were executed for trespassing.” Renna’s eyes held derision that Azula felt. Trespassing when the woman had likely been bought as a slave most likely. That woman had been murdered because of her citizenship. Then the last minister should have been punished, but Ozai would never bother with petty disputes such as these.

Azula was pleased. It seemed she never gave her maids any recognition because of their status. “You sure know a lot. Who did you serve before me?”

Renna blushed at the praise. “This servant had always been yours, your Highness. This servant is merely the daughter of a Madam’s maid.”

“Which madam?”

“Madam Wei, your Highness. Madam Wei is the wife of General Wei who is currently station in the seas near the remains of the Southern Water Tribe.” There were so many names Azula needed to know and so she nodded. 

Very good. She would be busy putting her skills to use. The corruption of this nation would no longer go unquestioned.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many of the people Azula needed to investigate had districts. They were nobles that controlled the flow of food, which was more precious than money. This scam was organized in such a way that Ozai and she would not know unless they actually bothered to pay attention to the flow of the kingdom. When Azula spoke to the Fire Nation elders about the financial account books and laws of the nation, she received mixed looks. Some elders were proud, others were mildly annoyed but not too concerned. The Fire Nation elders controlled everything, but they did nothing unless the Fire Lord was too far from controlling. Of course Ozai foolishly neglected the elders and did as he pleased. The war meetings were merely a formality as well.

She had so much to learn about her people that she felt slightly overwhelmed. She figured that this early onset of exhaustion was what having endless responsibilities felt like. To calm herself as she mentally reviewed her work, Azula went through her usual air bending _katas _and felt her flames lazily flicker inside her stomach. They were bored with the details. They wanted action, but she couldn’t leave yet. Not until she had a handle on things here.__

Azula was thankful for how hands off Ozai was with the empire. He was only concerned with conquest and proving his strength to a father he murdered and a brother he banished. Now Azula had nothing but time to think strategies. Early in the morning, she practiced trusting people and gave Renna an assignment on information gathering about Minister Qin. Azula did not need to be blindsided when Ozai was already suspicious. While Renna did that, Azula studied the rates of unemployment -which people were benders and unemployed or not benders and unemployed -then she looked for ideal areas, not the Earth Kingdom’s territory, that had fertile soil. One of the prime areas for growing the economically plausible crops the nation needed was a colony acquired two years ago.

The colony had been unscript for a year and a half. The district had recently lost its nobleman. But even though their leader was gone, the citizens still paid taxes with food as ordered. The main objective in her search for information was that the name of the colony was recognizable: Xun. Xun would become the first place that Azula was ordered to annihilate. She had relished the feeling of power because she believed that killing people indiscriminately was how she could be better than her uncle and please her father. She hadn’t allowed herself to be devastated at her first kill. All she remembered was being proud of her achievement, even if Ozai covered the whole deed by calling it an attack from the Earth Kingdom. Now she knew why it wasn’t broadcasted. What she did was atrocious.

Xun was one of the only colonies making an actual profit, and it’d been turned into a training grounds. The little colony was put on the chopping block by vote, and Azula would gladly chop her arm off if it wasn’t because of that scam among the nobles. She can only imagine that the citizens of her nation were completely dissatisfied when news of another food source had been eliminated and taxes went up again. The meeting to decide Xun’s fate had already passed without fuss from Ozai who only heard the words “training grounds”, and was for the destruction of his people.

Despite giving up hope that Ozai could be anything but pathetic, it bothered Azula that the man had been manipulated so thoroughly. She had believed that everyone looked at Ozai in fear, but now she knew he was a private joke to the noblemen. She had a sneaking suspicion that if the people were to revolt, then all the blame would be pushed onto her and Ozai. Ozai proved that he was never prepared to rule with every day that passed of his negligence.

However, this negligence would be in her favor. The noblemen who supported her would want stability in the Fire Nation. Her people were wasting away, and she was more aware of her responsibilities.

Azula went out of her quarters, done with thinking while performing her usual air bending and fire bending _katas_. Her flames jump with anticipation of conquering the Fire Nation. She could do it. Rule the Fire Nation as it should be. Perhaps that was why her brother pitied her: she had been so blind to life outside of the Fire Nation capital. Despite all of her traveling, she was still so ignorant.

While walking through the palace, Azula encountered the one person she’d been looking for: Minister of Finance Ruo. The man looked slimy, and Azula needed to say not a single word to know he lived pleasantly while those around him suffered. This man walked as if he owned the palace, and because of Ozai’s stupidity, he practically did. This man and Minister of Affairs Pli both dominated everything from food to money. Ozai was a beggar compared to them. 

The man glanced towards Azula and she saw his eyes flare with lust. He immediately looked down, and Azula felt her hands twitched. Suddenly, all of her training her granddad taught her flew out the palace windows. All she could focus on was that this man held lustful desires towards her, and that he thought he could have her. Azula was a people person. She could read people as if she knew them their whole lives. This man was a monster who probably sullied many women’s chastity because their family needed food and money for the insane taxes.

Azula’s step had a purpose now. Waiting to calmly take over the Fire Nation? That would be held on pause. This man was disgusting, and everything in her was repulsed. Ruo bowed -like he should have before sneaking a glance at her -and he opened his mouth.

“Crown Princess Azula.” He said as he was supposed to, but Azula had tunnel vision. This man… she knew exactly how to destroy those greedy nobles’ money scam.

Azula flashed her signature smirk, and then shot her flames at the man’s face. Her flames sung in justice of the action. She heard the filth scream loudly, summoning groups of people, summoning her father from his chambers. All any of the newcomers could see was a burning body being fed blue flames from Azula’s hand.

No one spoke a word; no one so much as dared to look at her. Not even her father moved from his position. Finally when the former Minister Ruo stopped making so much as a whistle from the flames, Azula stepped back. She was calm, in control.

She looked at the crowd. “Minister of Finance Ruo thought that I was blind.” She began her speech. She wouldn’t declare her war on Ozai just yet. She still needed to build her support within the nobles and Elders. “He thought I couldn’t see what he was doing, what he intended to keep doing. Squandering our people’s hard work by starving them, coveting this nation’s crown princess. So I taught him that the Fire Nation didn’t become mighty by being dishonorable thieves. We became mighty through subjugating our enemies. That is, precisely, what I’ve done.”

Ozai simply looked at the dead man. Did he know that Azula had implied that he was a dishonorable thief? Was Ozai aware of the money scam? Was he not as oblivious as she once thought? Azula was always stupid when it came to assessing her own kin.

“You are exactly right.” Ozai said, trying to assume the dignified and authoritative Fire Lord, but it failed when compared to the calm wrath of an 11 year old prodigy. She forgot that she was still 11, and that this body hadn’t killed anyone before. No war is won without death after all. Still, she was disappointed in herself for doing something so “Old Azula”. Murdering a man who wanted her? That was classic Old Azula. All of her air bending teachings meant nothing when faced with the cruelty of her reality. She was a crown princess. Soon, she would be sold off, and in actuality, her chastity was all that she had. All of her military achievements were meaningless if she couldn’t be a dutiful wife and princess by producing an heir. If she was the old 11 year old her, she wouldn’t have known that look in his eyes; she wouldn’t care that the man had ruined so many women’s lives.

“Father.” She said, kneeling to show respect that she didn’t feel it.

“What has happened?” He asked, but he didn’t look too worried. She did just murder the man who allegedly offended her.

“Through careful investigation, I’ve discovered that former Minister Ruo was looking down on your intelligence by stealing food from the citizens of this nation. He sought to limit food, weakening our military and future soldiers. Surely this should have been investigated before it came to my attention, Father. As I left to inform you of my discoveries, Ruo decided to cast me an uncouth look. So I upheld the honor as your daughter and the Fire Nation’s crown princess by eliminating a piece of filth who is disloyal.” Azula spun the tale into her favor; making her research seem natural, warning the present noblemen that she would be watching them all closely. She also cleared any anger Ozai could have towards her. If he was in on the scam, she suspected he would be frothing at the mouth in anger.

Her next target would be Pli. Based on how he spoke to her, he might suffer a much less painful end. However, he wouldn’t live peacefully for making her look incompetent. She would do things her way to get the answers she needed. How deeply did this scam go?

Ozai stayed silent, digesting her words. “Come.” He said, and turned. Based on how he walked, he was mildly irritated but dismissive all the same. Did he not care that Ruo was killed? Was Ruo simply not that important or was he replaceable?

Azula followed her father into his throne room. He didn’t assume his usual position above everyone, instead he walked to the middle of the room and faced her.

“I’ve noticed that you’ve been practicing more often, and I am pleased. I have a mission for you. There’s an infestation of half-breeds in one of my colonies. They’ve overstayed their welcome. I want them eliminated, and you are who I want in charge of the elimination.” Ozai said with a sugary voice, as if mixing murder with praise could erase what it was. After her display, he probably expected her to be cheerful in making the Fire Nation safe.

“What is the colony called?”

“Xun.”

Azula stayed quiet for a minute. “Father, Xun is-”

“Infested with half-breeds that impede on the war. Clear the area and then report back to me when you are done. Leave.” He said, losing his patience with her.

Azula would carry out this mission, but she would do it the way her granddad taught her. First, Azula would need her usual entourage.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Azula made her way to her ride. She had planned everything out and was annoyed that she couldn’t stop Ozai from his pigheadedness. She suspected that even if Ozai knew about the food shortage, he would still be too obsessed with “half-breeds”. Azula didn’t realize how repugnant a word could be until she had to suffer through it. Of course, she knew that the words she spewed hurt people. She just hadn’t associated hurtful words with annoyance before. Ozai spoke of the Fire Nation citizens as if they didn’t have Fire Nation blood running through their veins, as if they were less than for being half Earth kingdom or Water tribe. Ozai had some nerve. Azulon had such a ridiculous harem that Ozai’s mother could’ve been any woman. It just so happens that Azulon’s harem consisted of women of every nation, mainly water tribe.

Before Azula could make her way to start her journey, she was stopped by Prime Minister Qin. He bowed his head, but as he passed he put a piece of paper into her hands. Normally, Azula would’ve felt insulted that someone touched her without her permission, but this man would either be the key to saving the Fire Nation, or he would be defeated like all of her other enemies.

She didn’t dare look at the note as she hid it in her belt.

“Look at how beautiful-”

“Our darling princess has become!"

The voices belonged to her fire bending instructors Lo and Li. Of course they would be joining in on the expedition. Azula couldn’t remember a time they didn’t tag along with her on an outing. Although she didn’t have many fond or negative memories of these two women, she did know that they tried to guide her. However, these two were the same that told Azula it was okay to murder or capture her brother and uncle. And they hadn’t voice their opinion on anything that Azula did - good or bad.

Maybe they were spies for Ozai, or maybe they only wanted to help her, but couldn’t say anything negative. Old Azula was overbearing and powerful. No one would dare to speak out of turn. Except Mai and Ty Lee had. Her friends since she was a child only spoke up to hurt her, instead of just telling her to think things through.

Azula didn’t know if she could ever forgive that. She also didn’t know if she could ever forgive what she put them through. When she had lost her mind, there was no act of evil she wouldn’t do.

“We are leaving-”

“To uphold the honor-”

“Of the Fire Nation.”


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much, everyone, for commenting and following this story!

After setting off to Xun on a boat, Azula finally received a letter from her brother’s messenger hawk. Azula couldn’t even describe how happy she was to finally hear from him. 

_Zula ,_  
_Things really aren’t that bad. All I ever do is travel along with uncle Iroh,_  
_and he just gives me pointers on my form, which has been improving._  
_I’m in the Northern Water tribe, and it’s as backwards as Ozai always_  
_Said. So… how have you been? Ozai’s not getting on your case for saving_  
_Me, is he?_  
_There will be a week or so delay, since I’m so far away. Message you later._  
_Zuko_

Azula didn’t know how to feel about the lack of information. Did he still not trust her? Yeah, she was on her own in the Fire Nation, but she was never one to surrender. Was he sustaining because he thought she would regress to how she was before? She felt chagrined from how she made herself vulnerable, and it felt like the moment they shared didn’t matter.

Or maybe Zuko just didn’t want to tell her that he already encountered someone who was allegedly the Avatar but failed to capture him. It didn’t matter to her because she already knew Zuko would never capture the Avatar. He wasn’t meant to. She wanted to know more about what he was doing and learning. Their uncle hadn’t sent her a letter, and honestly, she wasn’t expecting him to.

She knew that Zuko would be fine, but that things got dodgy later on when Zhao got involved. Speaking of dodgy, she hadn’t heard anything about Zhao but that made sense. In three years, he would ascend into the life of a corrupt soldier. Zuko would have three years before he ever encountered anyone. Azula was just being paranoid. She felt stupid for even thinking that Zuko would have the capacity to hold something like that inside of himself. The Zuko who stared her down with an untouchable aura was many years off. 

This time travel business was messy and inconvenient, but Azula was thankful she could complain about it. Azula would be going to find Ty Lee who went to the circus, but instead of it being the four years that Azula thought because she didn’t think about the time difference of her age, it would be just a year. Azula didn’t know if she would manage to get Ty Lee to follow her. Last time, she had threatened her friend’s life. Now Azula had to trust that Ty Lee wasn’t going to reject her offer. Violence was all that Azula knew. Kindness only led to this worrying despondent feeling. She never knew if her taking a chance ever paid off.

For now, she would stop dreading the inevitable and write to her brother. Even though they couldn’t see each other, she planned on connecting with the one of the only people who tried to save her from herself.

_Zuzu,_  
_I am fine. There’s nothing that Ozai can do to me. You do not have to worry_  
_About anything other than learning from uncle. Don’t be worried about me;_  
_I’ll be fine in the capital. Be mindful of the people you meet, Zuzu. You might_  
_Meet some interesting people who will help you become a better bender._  
_I’m going on an expedition with Ty Lee and Mai, I’m sure you remember_  
_Them. Be sure to include something for them the next time you write to me._  
_Azula_

She could only hope that her overly nice attitude didn’t scare him off. After sending the hawk on its way, Lo and Li appeared in her quarters. They didn’t have much of an expression on their face, but Azula was sure that was because they had too many wrinkles. She wouldn’t say that though.

“Princess, we’ve been watching-”

“You train and go about your-”

“Usual business. We noticed that-”

“You haven’t been yourself in-”

“Some time.”

It was impossible to tell what that meant. Was it a good thing that she wasn’t being herself, or was it bad for them? Their answer could determine how Azula treated them in the future. Maybe they knew that she was testing them because they gave each other the side eye.

“You must know that-”

“We have trained many benders-”

“In our lifetime, but-”

“You’re one of the few that-”

“Doesn’t really need our-”

“Help. What caused your-”

“Dramatic change?”

Azula decided to take another leap of faith. A small leap, but a leap no less.

“I’ve come to reevaluate how I’ve been viewing the world.” She replied. “I realized how ignorant I’ve been.”

They straightened their postures at that. “Did this change-”

“Occur when the Fire Lord-”

“Had an Agni Kai-”

“With your brother?”

She felt her eye twitch. She supposed that that excuse was valid. It wasn’t at all suspicious if she changed during a traumatic event. She did challenge Ozai to an Agni Kai in front of many noblemen for Zuko. For Zuko, she would defeat Ozai as many times as needed.

She would take a huge leap of faith. And if things didn’t go well, then… Azula was always proficient in disappointing those she desired to impress. Her granddad would be sad that she had to kill, but Azula justified the necessity with the fact that no one was ready for their destinies yet. “Yes. I have come to realize that the Fire Lord is only a man, lacking in knowledge, foresight, and competency.” They must have heard about what happened to Ruo.

They froze in disbelief. This was the moment of truth, and they knew it. It was either make a choice to serve an 11 year old child or a deranged lunatic hell bent on conquering the world with his failing empire. There wasn’t a third option. As Zuko was now, and would be in the future, he was out of touch with politics. He’d never had to deal with politicians, and how much power they possessed. While a child Avatar with his teenage friends fought a 100 year long war, grown men and women had stood in the back dictating what to do when the fight was done. She had realized this when she saw the effects of the water tribe’s destruction. All the intelligent generals who participated were relieved of their duties. Those generals had become too popular and powerful.

Lo and Li didn’t look like Azula’s confession mattered much. They must have dealt with this kind of pressure before with other royals. Of course Azula could tell that they tempered their reactions because this was Azula they were speaking with.

“Princess, we will help-”

“You as much as is-”

“Possible for us.”

It was neither undying loyalty or any repulsion. However, it would do for now. Azula really didn’t want to have to kill them.

“That’s all I ask.” She said, dismissing them and waiting to hear their footsteps fade.

She knew that she hadn’t gotten Lo and Li’s explicit approval. She would have to be very careful of what she said around them from now on. She was already on thin ice with them. Of course they had experienced this before. They would only obey whomever had the most power. At the moment, that was Ozai, but at least they hadn’t completely discounted her. They knew she would do great things in the future, but her prior arrogance and blind obedience was what held them back. In the upcoming years, she would have to prove herself to them as well.

Azula was so used to planning on a time limit, but now she could see how much time she had between major events. Zuko’s first sighting of the Avatar wouldn’t be for another three to four years. She had that much time to better the empire and the world, usurp her father politically, and bring the different nations together. However, no matter what she did, she was still the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation, daughter to the Fire Lord Ozai. No one would believe her sudden change of heart without hard proof of her change. Zuko wouldn’t believe her change of heart. Feeling concerned for him and challenging Ozai didn’t mean much when she had an entire childhood of being a “yes” man.

Azula sat on the ground in silence and decided to meditate. Waiting to arrive at Ty Lee’s circus; waiting to see her “friend” after all this time. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Azula arrived alone, she had a stark realization that she had never depended on her friends. In her past life, she had suffered murdering a colony of people by herself. She had only recruited Ty Lee and Mai to find the Avatar, her uncle, and brother because three supposedly seasoned fighters was more than she could handle alone. Regardless, Azula hadn’t ever asked for help from anyone. If there was something she wanted, she manipulated, took, or killed for it. 

What would she ever say to Ty Lee? This wasn’t her Ty Lee. This was a much younger version of her friend that had only recently disappeared from her family because she couldn’t tolerate being invisible or one of a group. This wasn’t her Ty Lee who chi blocked and read auras as if there wasn’t a care in the world. Azula didn't even know when Ty Lee learned to Chi block.

Once again, Azula would need to readjust her goals and focus on the present.

She walked towards the circus that wasn’t as big as it would be three years from now. That only made sense. If the circus hadn’t expanded in three years, then there was a problem. Azula conspicuously looked around, trying to seem like she belonged around a circus tent for whatever observational reasons.

There were so many people from the Fire Nation that wouldn’t look “appropriate” in polite society. They were visual outcasts; people that were probably banished from their families because of their appearance. However, among these visual outcasts was someone who taught Ty Lee how to Chi block. How many other amazing people were rejected? How many other people that could change the tide of the war if they only felt they had something to fight for, since their lives weren’t on the chopping block?

While Azula was contemplating this, she heard rather than saw her friend. 

“Azula!” She yelled in that bubbly voice that Azula sorely missed. She missed someone being happy to see her, actually wanting to see her face. After Ty Lee and Mai betrayed her, she abruptly realized that no one wanted to be near her for any reason.

She turned to get an armful of Ty Lee. She hadn’t changed her style of dressing in all these years: something comfortable and flexible. Her hair was shorter, but that was simply because her other sisters had short hair, so Ty Lee had let it grow out in three years from now. It was only a little over a year since she had left her home for independence.

“Hello, Ty Lee.” She said quieter than she normally would, but this was her friend that she had mixed feelings for. This was the person who made Azula feel like a normal girl, even when she strived to be nothing like a woman.

Ty Lee froze at that and her smile evaporated immediately. Instead she glowered and prepared to attack. “I’ll only ask you this once: who are you? How dare you impersonate my Azula!” She shouted, preparing to attack Azula.

Azula’s mind was racing at the aggression. This was too reminiscent of when Ty Lee betrayed her; except this Ty Lee was angrier than Old Ty Lee. “Don’t be stupid, Ty Lee.” She said in a haughty voice. “Who could possibly be me?”

Ty Lee hesitated. “But…” She said, still preparing to eliminate Azula if she was a disguise. “Your aura is… it’s different. I was only gone for a little over a year. How can your aura be such a bright purple?”

Azula’s eyebrow rose. She had no idea what that meant, and she wasn’t going to ask for an explanation either. Auras were never her forte, and she never cared much to learn it or understand. Ty Lee didn’t look like she wanted to explain either way. 

Azula opened her mouth, but then thought better of it. She hadn’t seen her friend in over a year, and the first thing she was going to ask was for help, as if she couldn’t speak to her friend for any other reason. In her last life, it had been four years before she barged into Ty Lee’s sanctuary and destroyed it. She felt ashamed of how completely dismissive she was of her friends and their lives. Mai hadn’t minded, but then again, Mai was completely obsessed by her brother’s existence. She didn’t care about going because it meant she could get away from the emotional crisis of aging and marriage. 

Azula felt terrible for not taking her friends’ lives and feelings into consideration. If she had to save a village of people, then she would do it alone, if she must. This time around, she wouldn’t pressure her friends into fighting. She was Crown Princess Azula, her mere presence was pressure enough.

Ty Lee smiled again, it was calmer and happier. “What brings you here? I didn’t think you ever read the mail I sent you.”

What mail? Azula had never received any word of her friends’ whereabouts. She only knew where they were after investigating. Was her mail being intercepted? She had gotten Zuko’s messenger hawk, but perhaps that was because she wasn’t at the palace anymore. If so, didn’t that mean that Ozai was controlling who could see her and who couldn’t? If he knew about her communication with Zuko, he would be infuriated. He might even concoct a scheme to pretend to be her, and then use that information to kill Zuko and her uncle.

Suddenly Azula didn’t like the gravity of how devious her father was. Before he was just an idiot who obsessed with power. Now she realized that his corrupted mind had no boundaries of what it could and couldn’t do. He did set out to murder Zuko without a second thought, until Ozai realized he could eliminate his own father without getting his hands dirty. How could that never properly sink in?

“I never got any mail.” She said, but Ty Lee could read something on her face. Could Ty Lee always do that? Did that mean that even 11 year old Ty Lee could tell that Ozai was a monster? Did she already know and didn’t tell Azula because of Azula’s obsession with Ozai's acknowledgement? Azula’s stomach clenched in anger and anxiety. She must have been a joke to her “friends”. Why was she trying to get them to join her?

She could feel her granddad smacking the back of her head. He would be right once again. She was being stupidly negative. An 11 year old would be frightened to tell the princess of the Fire Nation that the Fire Lord was a homicidal idiot. That was treasonous, and now Azula knew why she was left in the dark the whole time. Azula was in over her head. She had no idea what she was doing in this life. Things were so much easier when she didn’t have to think about what she was doing with her life. However, no matter how easy things were, she’d been a simple pawn when she was worth so much more. She had to be worth more than a disposable sword. 

Ty Lee’s face betrayed nothing when she heard Azula’s words, but her body language said everything her mouth couldn’t. She wasn’t surprised that none of her letters had been received. She had probably anticipated they would be and only mentioned irrelevant details. Now Azula understood why there was never any important information inside anything she did receive. Ozai didn’t give her anything that would distract her from her job. And he probably thought Ty Lee was weak because she wasn’t a bender.

Azula chuckled maliciously at the reminder that Ozai had lost his bending in the last timeline. He had become someone who was “weak”, and she could think of nothing more befitting. While Azula hadn’t been racist against benders or non-benders, she was definitely discriminatory. No one was as good as she was. It didn’t matter if she’d been born a water bender or air bender, she would always have been better than everyone else. Ozai, on the other hand, had wholeheartedly believed that fire benders were superior. She didn’t know why. It wasn’t like their fire was particularly special; hers was the only special one, and she hadn't done anything particularly amazing. 

“Hey, Zula; how has life been?”

Azula slightly regretted not just being open with her desire about recruiting her friend, but she wanted to get to know her friend without the pressure of obedience. Things had been so much easier when they were still in the girl’s academy. She could remember actually having fun, even if she was constantly reminded that she was princess.

“Things have been… tense.” She decided to confide. Azula saw Ty Lee’s eyes widen slightly with the dash of honesty she was given. 

“How so?”

Had she really not heard? It made sense if she hadn’t, although Azula figured Zuko being scarred would be the talk of the kingdom. However, this was a circus. People would feel less inclined to gossip about politics when they just wanted a break from the world.

“Zuko has been… banished.” For the lack of a better word. He’d been dishonored and then banished like he wasn’t a prince. Even servants weren’t disgraced so much. Ozai proved again and again why he was a vindictive, evil man. No wonder Mai hated her so much. This was the man who hurt Zuko, and Azula openly agreed with the disgusting acts he’d done.

Ty Lee’s face blanched at that. “Zuko’s been banished? What happened? Where is he?” Azula could only hear the deep concern over Zuko’s mortality under the carefully worded questions, but Azula was trying that vulnerable thing again. If she wanted Ty Lee to trust that she changed, this would be the moment.

She took a deep inhale and released it slowly. “Ozai challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai. For talking out of turn. Ozai won.” She said in a sharp, clipped tone. “He burnt Zuko’s face. He would have killed him if I didn’t stop him.”

Ty Lee’s eyes widened so much she looked creepy. “ _You_ stopped Ozai? W-what did he d-do?” She asked checking over Azula.

Azula released a bark of laughter. Something so unlady-like, and not at all acceptable of a princess. “What could he do against me? Ozai is a coward who preys on those he deems weak.” But she would stop him. She would make sure that Ozai suffered for making a fool out of a 13 year old.

“He didn’t do anything to you?”

“Like I said. He did nothing, but he did banish Zuko. Zuko sends me letters of his travels, and I think it’s better that he’s gone from the Fire Nation. Zuko wasn’t meant for politics. Not yet.” He wasn’t mature enough to understand the harsh decisions of a human life, and Ozai would never show it to him. Azula only knew the value of a life, even if she didn’t care much for it in her last life, because she had taken and manipulated so many. People were amazing with the range of emotions they could display. She had experienced a lot of them: joy, hatred, annoyance, lust. But she had never experienced fear and acceptance. 

“You and Zuko talk?” She asked, and she smiled brightly. “Oh! That explains your aura! It’s so pretty because you’re changing so much! I’m proud of you, Zula. Why are you here, if nothing happened?”

Leave it to Ty Lee to drop monumental words, and then dismiss the moment for something else. Azula reined herself in. “Ozai has sent me on a mission. It’s to “clear” the area of the occupants in Xun.”

Ty Lee frowned a smidgen. “What will you do?”

Azula looked around, and was thankful everyone minded their own business. “I will tell you, but I can’t say it here.”

“W-will you hurt them?”

Azula sighed a little. She shouldn’t be surprised that Ty Lee would be a little disappointed if Azula chose to murder people, and especially if she brought Ty Lee to witness it. If Azula did something that monstrous, it would change Ty Lee forever. “I’m going to clear the area, but I’m not letting Ozai have his way. He wants them dead, but they are Fire Nation citizens. They don’t deserve to be murdered because of their parentage. I will simply relocate them somewhere safer. Will you help me? I need to have someone with me so Lo and Li don’t come to. I’m not sure of their al-” Azula was cut off as she was tackled to the ground.

“Oh, Zula! Of course I’ll help you! We’ll bring Mai.” She gushed happily while covering Azula in her affection, but Azula didn’t mind. She’d recruited her friend, and it didn’t seem to damage her friendship at all. If anything, it seemed to help. Azula wondered if she could get Mai to join as quickly and easily as before. Would Mai want to stay her friend even if there wasn’t a Tom-Tom to steal her parent’s love? Would Mai be more interested to join Azula if it meant communication with Zuko? She was excited to find out.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The war hadn’t spread like it would four years from now. Mai wouldn’t be living in the Earth Kingdom colonies because it hadn’t been annexed yet. There was still time to warn the citizens of the colony or even help them find a way to fight back. As soon as Azula managed a way to feed her people, without letting her citizens believe conquering was the only way, the sooner she could have her own hands on the reins of the war. Hopefully by the time the Avatar appeared, he would understand that Azula was a comrade to help him heal the world. 

Azula sat in her boat and stared into the ocean. She was reminded of the water bender. The woman she shot lightning at while she tried to heal Zuko. The attack was in succession, leaving the water bender no time to comprehend that Zuko had been struck. The water bender had lost her mother as well, or so she heard from prisoner gossip. However, her grief was directed at actual monsters. While Azula had slaved away to become the best fire bender, had done so much work to defy the limitations of her gender; the water bender did the same things in a shorter time, but she was applauded for her achievements. 

It left a bitter taste in her mouth. Azula’s achievements may have not been morally correct, but they surely weren’t meaningless. Everything she did was discredited because of her father’s evilness, and she wasn’t blind to the harsh reality of war. She lived and breathed war.

She could never ask her friends if dwelling on her monstrosities was a good idea. Obviously it wasn’t a good idea. She had been given a second chance to change her past decisions, not wonder why she hadn’t been applauded for being a magnificent strategist and fighter. Instead of swelling her pride, she could only burn with anger. Her “achievements” had been used by Ozai, and she was so blind to the glory she hadn’t realized it.

“What ya thinking about, Zula?” How stupid I can be most days. 

“The past, mostly.”

Ty Lee’s eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t think about the past so much. You’re doing good things, despite the Fire Lord’s opinion on the matter. Mai will definitely join you. I’m happy we’re going to be doing the right thing.”

She behaved as if Ozai had always ordered her to do atrocious things. This was the first time she’d killed anyone in her old timeline. Ozai wouldn’t dare send her on too many missions before she showed promise of her undying loyalty to him.

“What does that mean?”

Ty Lee looked worried. “I can be honest, right?”

“Completely. I need your honesty. No one else will give me one.”

“Ozai used to intentionally make you and Zuko compete, you know that. But when you had to go to that girl’s school, he was completely against it. Your… mother and him would argue about it. So he would have bullies routinely pick on me and Mai to see what you’d do. I’m happy you never interfered. Mai and I knew that you would be in trouble if you knew. Azula, Ozai always manipulated you during your childhood.”

Azula imagined that if she had heard before what Ozai had done, she would’ve been mortified. Now she was just adding onto reasons why Ozai couldn’t be spared. The Avatar had taken her bending, but she had usurped the Earth Kingdom without it. She had a drill penetrate the famous walls of Ba Sing Se. She had done a lot of her conquering without the help of bending, and Ozai was a lizard. Without his bending he would feel uncontrollably vengeful, but he would undoubtedly have ways to destroy the “peace” the Avatar wanted to bring. She could only imagine that no one would be content with war veterans being leaders of the New Age. People with that much popularity, intelligence, and power would become something worse than Ozai and Azulon if they weren’t checked by other powers.

“I’m not surprised that Ozai controlled everyone around me.” He didn’t even let her teachers explain what sex or puberty was until she threatened a maid to explain it. Granted, that was something her mother should’ve spoken about, but the woman never had time for her daughter, and then she disappeared because of the deal she made with Ozai. 

Azula looked at the ocean again with clarity. “I will stop Ozai, and I will right the wrongs of my lineage because I am Crown Princess Azula of the Fire Nation.”

“Of course, My Princess.” Ty Lee said, and then knelt before Azula. Azula was shocked out of her mind. Ty Lee has never done this before. Was this Ty Lee’s way of saying that she would support her reign or mission against Ozai? Was Azula betrayed the last time because she had never received this type of loyalty? Then was their friendship a trial period of determining her worth as a Crown Princess? What does this mean?

Ty Lee looked up. “Crown Princess Azula, I have been with you since our childhood, and I will stay with you from now on. I can be a very valuable asset, and I believe in your determination towards the Fire Nation. Simply tell me what you need, and I will obey.”

“Ty Lee, stand up.” She didn’t know how to deal with the change of her new life, but she knew that she could trust Ty Lee to always have her back, even if Mai’s loyalty would always be to Zuko. At least in this life, that thought process aligned with her own. 

Just thinking about Mai’s allegiance made Azula feel uncomfortable with recruiting her. Yes, she wanted to still be friends with Mai, but she wasn’t as desperate for acceptance as she used to be in her past life. She was no longer the touch-starved little girl who was thirsting for someone to actually like her. She was not that trusting, and maybe she should try to be but it was hard. Mai had always merely tolerated Azula’s presence for Zuko. The same boy that constantly abandoned Mai for his misguided notion of honor. Even in her past life, Azula knew that his honor meant nothing to the bastard he tried to prove it to. Azula had to admit that it really bothered her that Mai betrayed her for the boy who would always dump her. 

Zuko was too young and foolish. He could never understand the fate that awaited an unwed noblewoman with a dubious chastity. It was hellish and unkind. Azula couldn’t imagine the fate that befell the Kyoshi warriors either. They were prisoners of war and women. Azula had pushed them into that hell with no consideration for how they would be treated.

Now that Azula was given a second chance at life, she understood the gravity of her actions. A life that she was spared from only because the Avatar kept Ozai occupied. Otherwise, she would’ve been shipped off to the most useful general in Ozai’s suicidal obsession against the Avatar. 

As she drew closer to Mai’s home, Azula became even more nervous. She relaxed her body to exude a sense of control and calm. She didn’t want anyone to glimpse into her true feelings. Now wasn’t the time to panic over what her friends thought of her. She had to think about how to save the people in Xun. No doubt Lo and Li would be supervising over her actions and would most likely report everything to Ozai; nevermind that all the soldiers around her would be reporting back to Ozai with wasted words of praise. 

She tried to remember what Old Azula would have done if someone impeded on her first mission. She definitely would’ve thrown her weight around and told everyone to disappear from her sight. Her behavior must be incredibly suspicious, since she hadn’t thrown anyone out off of the boat in the entirety of the trip. She especially remembered throwing people over for not magically bending elements to their will whenever she demanded. After all, no water bender would be caught dead in the Fire Nation unless it was to rebel against the Fire Nation’s tyranny.

Azula was shocked out of her thoughts when she felt arms wrap around her. Ty Lee giggled in such a relaxed way that Azula couldn’t remember ever hearing. Had Azula been such a person that even laughter had to be stilted? Perhaps the Avatar should’ve killed her. Just thinking of how unrepentant she would have become without her grandfather said everything. She was happy that she got this second chance to make her relationships right this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am in the writing mood, and so I've reconnected with some of my other stories that have been in limbo for a while. Expect to see another one of my stories update (cough cough From Beyond cough cough) around this weekend or by Wednesday at the latest. No, I'm not putting either story on the back burner. It's just means that I'll work on the both at the same time (literally. I will write one sentence on one, and then write a whole paragraph for the other story. My mind does too much at once).


	5. Chapter Four

The war hadn’t spread like it would four years from now. Mai wouldn’t be living in the Earth Kingdom colonies because it hadn’t been annexed yet. There was still time to warn the citizens of the colony or even help them find a way to fight back. As soon as Azula managed a way to feed her people, without letting her citizens believe conquering was the only way, the sooner she could have her own hands on the reins of the war. Hopefully by the time the Avatar appeared, he would understand that Azula was a comrade to help him heal the world. 

Azula sat on her boat and stared into the ocean. She was reminded of the water bender. The woman she shot lightning at while she tried to heal Zuko. The attack was in succession, leaving the water bender no time to comprehend that Zuko had been struck. The water bender had lost her mother as well, or so she heard from prisoner gossip. However, her grief was directed at actual monsters. While Azula had slaved away to become the best fire bender, had done so much work to defy the limitations of her gender; the water bender did the same things in a shorter time, but she was applauded for her achievements. 

It left a bitter taste in her mouth. Azula’s achievements may have not been morally correct, but they surely weren’t meaningless. Everything she did was discredited because of her father’s evilness, and she wasn’t blind to the harsh reality of war. She lived and breathed war.

She could never ask her friends if dwelling on her monstrosities was a good idea. Obviously it wasn’t a good idea. She had been given a second chance to change her past decisions, not wonder why she hadn’t been applauded for being a magnificent strategist and fighter. Instead of swelling with pride, she could only burn with anger. Her “achievements” had been used by Ozai, and she was so blind to the glory she hadn’t realized it.

“What ya thinking about, Zula?” _How stupid I can be most days._

“The past, mostly.”

Ty Lee’s eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t think about the past so much. You’re doing good things, despite the Fire Lord’s opinion on the matter. Mai will definitely join you. I’m happy we’re going to be doing the right thing.”

She behaved as if Ozai had always ordered her to do atrocious things. This was the first time she’d killed anyone in her old timeline. Ozai wouldn’t dare send her on too many missions before she showed promise of her undying loyalty to him.

“What does that mean?”

Ty Lee looked worried. “I can be honest, right?”

“Completely. I need your honesty. No one else will give it to me.”

“Ozai used to intentionally make you and Zuko compete, you know that. But when you had to go to that girl’s school, he was completely against it. Your… mother and him would argue about it. So he would have bullies routinely pick on me and Mai to see what you’d do. I’m happy you never interfered. Mai and I knew that you would be in trouble if you knew. Azula, Ozai always manipulated you during your childhood.”

Azula imagined that if she had heard before what Ozai had done, she would’ve been mortified. Now she was just adding onto reasons why Ozai couldn’t be spared. The Avatar had taken her bending, but she had usurped the Earth Kingdom without it. She had a drill penetrate the famous walls of Ba Sing Se. She had done a lot of her conquering without the help of bending, and Ozai was a snake. Without his bending he would feel uncontrollably vengeful, but he would undoubtedly have ways to destroy the “peace” the Avatar wanted to bring. She could only imagine that no one would be content with war veterans being leaders of the New Age. People with that much popularity, intelligence, and power would become something worse than Ozai and Azulon if they weren’t checked by other powers.

“I’m not surprised that Ozai controlled everyone around me.” He didn’t even let her teachers explain what sex or puberty was until she threatened a maid to explain it. Granted, that was something her mother should’ve spoken about, but the woman never had time for her daughter, and then she disappeared because of whatever happened with Ozai. 

Azula looked at the ocean again with clarity. “I will stop Ozai, and I will right the wrongs of my lineage because I am Crown Princess Azula of the Fire Nation.”

“Of course, My Princess.” Ty Lee said, and then knelt before Azula. Azula was shocked out of her mind. Ty Lee has never done this before. Was this Ty Lee’s way of saying that she would support her reign or mission against Ozai? Was Azula betrayed the last time because she had never received this type of loyalty? Then was their friendship a trial period of determining her worth as a Crown Princess? What does this mean?

Ty Lee looked up. “Crown Princess Azula, I have been with you since our childhood, and I will stay with you from now on. I can be a very valuable asset, and I believe in your determination towards the Fire Nation. Simply tell me what you need, and I will obey.”

“Ty Lee, stand up.” She didn’t know how to deal with the change of her new life, but she knew that she could trust Ty Lee to always have her back, even if Mai’s loyalty would always be to Zuko. At least in this life, that thought process aligned with her own. 

Just thinking about Mai’s allegiance made Azula feel uncomfortable with recruiting her. Yes, she wanted to still be friends with Mai, but she wasn’t as desperate for acceptance as she used to be in her past life. She was no longer the touch-starved little girl who was thirsting for someone to actually like her. She was not that trusting, and maybe she should try to be but it was hard. Mai had always merely tolerated Azula’s presence for Zuko. The same boy that constantly abandoned Mai for his misguided notion of honor. Even in her past life, Azula knew that his honor meant nothing to the bastard he tried to prove it to. Azula had to admit that it really bothered her that Mai betrayed her for the boy who would always dump her. 

Zuko was too young and foolish. He could never understand the fate that awaited an unwed noblewoman with dubious chastity. It was hellish and unkind. Azula couldn’t imagine the fate that befell the Kyoshi warriors either. They were prisoners of war and women. Azula had pushed them into that hell with no consideration for how they would be treated.

Now that Azula was given a second chance at life, she understood the gravity of her actions. A life that she was spared from only because the Avatar kept Ozai occupied. Otherwise, she would’ve been shipped off to the most useful general in Ozai’s suicidal obsession against the Avatar. 

As she drew closer to Mai’s home, Azula became even more nervous. She relaxed her body to exude a sense of control and calm. She didn’t want anyone to glimpse into her true feelings. Now wasn’t the time to panic over what her friends thought of her. She had to think about how to save the people in Xun. No doubt Lo and Li would be supervising over her actions and would most likely report everything to Ozai; never mind that all the soldiers around her would be reporting back to Ozai with wasted words of praise. 

She tried to remember what Old Azula would have done if someone impeded on her first mission. She definitely would’ve thrown her weight around and told everyone to disappear from her sight. Her behavior must be incredibly suspicious, since she hadn’t thrown anyone out off of the boat in the entirety of the trip. She especially remembered throwing people over for not magically bending elements to their will whenever she demanded. After all, no water bender would be caught dead in the Fire Nation unless it was to rebel against the Fire Nation’s tyranny.

Azula was shocked out of her thoughts when she felt arms wrap around her. Ty Lee giggled in such a relaxed way that Azula couldn’t remember ever hearing. Had Azula been such a person that even laughter had to be stilted? Perhaps the Avatar should’ve killed her. Just thinking of how unrepentant she would have become without her grandfather said everything.

“Hey, Zula. Were you that shocked by me? I’ve never seen you get so quiet for so long.”

Azula felt her face heat in embarrassment. Her zoning would be the death of her. She simply looked out in the distance. She would try her hardest to become true friends with Mai, and make sure Mai would never have to choose between her life and love. Mai never should’ve had to fight Azula to stop her from trying to kill her own brother.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Azula was standing in front of Mai’s place, which arguably, could’ve been a mansion. The place wasn’t anything comparable to the palace, but that was understandable. However, the mansion styled building was beautiful and shamed the place Mai’s family would move into later. Azula had always known that Mai’s father was a politician within the royal court, but she struggled to find the correlation between their wealth with the small Earth Kingdom house they had. Azula felt like the size difference was meant to be a demotion but also a small consolation for their loyalty. Was this the example that Ty Lee meant? Where Ozai harassed her two friends endlessly, and they had to keep silent? Or could their demotion be a way to destabilize power and raise money to fund the war?

What did the demotion mean for Mai? Was her friend currently dealing with the pressure of being a noblewoman, and that’s what made her join Azula? Or was Mai at her wit’s end dealing with the pressure, and that’s what helped her make the decision to defy Azula? She didn’t know if she was right and wrong, or just conceited for thinking Mai’s world centered around her.

Ty Lee gave Azula a knowing look. Azula didn’t know what to think of when she saw the smile, but she knew it was Ty Lee’s happiness in seeing Azula change so much. However, Azula was the Crown Princess; she didn’t know the meaning of hesitation. Why would she hesitate in seeing her friend? While others could afford to be indecisive, Azula could not. She put aside her vulnerability and knocked on the door. Normally, a servant would do that, but she needed to do this with just Ty Lee.

The door was immediately opened by a servant, which was another upgrade from how it was in her past. Perhaps Mai’s family truly was demoted. No noblewoman would dare to open the door themselves. The servant dropped into a respectful bow before Azula.

“Crown Princess Azula. Lady Ty Lee.” The servant’s voice trembled greatly as she moved to allow Azula and Ty Lee entrance. The servant woman shot another servant a look, and they hurried to, presumably, announce Azula’s presence to the home’s occupants. At least Azula wouldn’t have to explain to Mai what happened to Zuko. However, it was a guarantee that Mai heard her information from the rumor mill, so the accuracy was probably off by a longshot.

Azula walked into the mansion, and gave the servant a neutral look to go away. She knew she had a reputation for being a complicated person with an unhinged personality. Even as a child, she’d never given anyone besides Ozai any semblance of respect. She grew into a terribly cruel person who deserved to be called a monster. 

Frantic footsteps rushed to their direction. Ty Lee looked excited, but Azula’s heart was suffering incredible palpitations. She didn’t know what this version of Mai would do this time. Azula was here earlier, and there was no Tom Tom to persuade Mai’s opinion. She wasn’t given any time to contemplate her next move as Mai’s parents and Mai appeared.

“Crown Princess Azula!” They all called, bowing before her. No matter how close their daughter was to Azula, Azula was still royalty. She earned her title as a menace to be feared. 

Azula would’ve smiled, to seem more amiable, but she remembered practicing in a mirror, and it didn’t go well. She had only ever managed an amiable expression when she was being manipulative. “Please, rise. I’ve come to speak with Lady Mai.” She said in a soft tone, that made Mai’s father freeze before smiling. She had never bothered with titles before, after all. Her disrespect towards his family couldn’t have been corrected either. Azula had no mother that they could casually complain to during tea parties, and even when they had such a person, Azula never listened.

“Of course, of course! Mai, darling, show the Crown Princess the garden you’ve worked so hard on.” Her father spoke in a gentle, firm tone. A tone fitting for a father who cared somewhat for his daughter. A man who understood that if Azula was displeased, he could die along with his family.

“Of course, father.” Mai said in her usual deadpanned voice. Mai gestured towards a hallway Azula never had the chance to visit in her prior life. To be exact, Azula had never visited Mai’s home before. She had only come to her when she needed some assistance. She had never found comfort in Mai’s presence like she did Ty Lee. Deep down, Azula should have always known that Mai would betray her. It was Ty Lee’s betrayal that hurt the most. 

Mai guided them, but didn’t start any small talk until they reached the garden and she dismissed the maids and butlers.

Mai walked slowly until she looked at Azula. Her eyes gazed over Azula’s form. “How have you been, Azula? Truly.” She asked in a tone that implied she didn’t care, but her body language was different. Had Mai always had a shred of care to spare for Azula until Azula ruined it?

“I’ve been well. Considering your father’s addressing of my title, I assume you know about Zuko.” Azula said, not bothering in mincing her words.

“I did. I also heard that you stood against your father.” Mai stopped walking, and her eyes narrowed. “Azula, what were you thinking? You could’ve died doing something so foolish.” She scolded. 

Azula was genuinely surprised that Mai said that, but she could tell that this was a test. How many times had she been tested by Ozai? Mai was merely confirming the rumors before assessing how to speak with Azula. Azula felt that she had always underestimated her knife throwing, nonbending friend. 

“Of course I understood that.” Azula said, and then stepped closer. “And I intend on defying that monster until his last breath.”

Mai’s eyes widened. Perhaps her friend broke from hearing Azula mention something so treasonous in the open. Although it was risky, Mai would believe no less than the truth. While Mai was nowhere near her level of detecting emotions and body language, she was no slacker either. 

“Do you understand what you’re saying?” Mai whispered, pulling Azula closer.

“I do. I also know that there’s massive corruption in the Fire Nation, and I intend to stop it before my people starve.” Azula looked into Mai’s eyes. “And I need your help, Mai.”

Mai looked at Azula, and then glanced at the -surprisingly -silent -Ty Lee. Ty Lee spoke softly. “Azula has changed, Mai. I believe that we can help the Fire Nation. I believe we can stop the war.”

Azula hadn’t mentioned the war yet, but she was happy that Ty Lee mentioned that. The world and her people came first. Ozai was merely a piece of the corruption; a terrible figurehead that made other puppet leaders look bad. The real problem lies within the Fire Nation government leaders. While the Elders were considering her change, they had already aligned with other politicians to succeed Ozai in the future. If Azula wanted to save the Fire Nation, she had to make herself the best contender. She had to prove she was worth investing in.

“Just hearing that you protected Zuko says enough about your change. If you’re going to help the Fire Nation, then I’m in. You couldn’t leave me behind anyway.” Mai said in an arrogant tone that Azula had never heard before. Maybe because she had always hogged up all the arrogance. Ty Lee merely laughed as if this was Mai’s actual personality, and the Mai Azula knew was a fraud.

It felt good to have her familiar team assembled. She and her two friends had taken down Ba Sing Se within days, after all. Taking down the Fire Nation would just be a bigger obstacle, and her people would probably be thankful for the change of leadership.

“We’re heading to Xun.”

Mai’s eyes narrowed. “What’s happened?” She asked cautiously. Was she afraid Azula would be angry at her asking? Azula just admitted she was going to take down Ozai. With that statement alone, from Mai of all people, Ozai would probably gift Mai’s family anything they pleased.

“Ozai wants Xun cleared, and I’m going to take him literal with it.”

It took a moment for Mai to get it because she smirked. “How soon do you need to go?”

“As soon as you’re ready. If you don’t want to go, then that’s alr-”

Mai sighed. “Azula, of course I’m going. We all promised to have each other’s back. I’m not going to let Ozai gopher you into doing all the dirty work alone. If you’re taking that bastard down, then I’m going to be right beside you.”

Azula nodded, happy in having another true ally. There was no way Mai would let Azula go off the deep end. She would yank Azula back to set her straight. Azula had never known what it was like to have someone she felt equal to until that moment.

Ty Lee squealed, throwing her arms around Azula and Mai. “The gang is back! I can’t wait to do this.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Azula explained what her mission was to Mai, and she was happy that Mai was okay with everything. Bouncing ideas off her friend helped make her plan feel more solid. Mai had land that her parents bought about a decade ago that the people of Xun could stay. Eventually, the people of Xun would have to leave to the Earth Kingdom. Azula would have to make sure that she worked on the political aspect of the Fire Nation to stop Ozai from subjugating areas of people she freed.

Now that she had free time to not panic about meeting her friends, Azula decided to read the note that Prime Minister Qin left her. She opened it with Mai and Ty Lee looking over her shoulder.

_Crown Princess Azula_

_The people of the Fire Nation depend on_

_The stability of royalty. Many members of_

_The royal court believe in your potential,_

_And in your visions for the Fire Nation._

_Should you need assistance in your mission,_

_Go to the attached address, and they will_

_Provide for you._

_Prime Minister Qin_

Mai hummed. “You already got the prime minister on your side? Impressive. I thought this would be an uphill battle.”

Azula felt sheepish. “It is. There has to be a new Minister of Finance. I… snapped and killed the last one. He _looked_ at me. I just know that he would eventually get ahead of himself and ask Ozai for me. Ozai is so stupid. He doesn’t even know or care that he’s a sham Fire Lord.”

Mai and Ty Lee remained quiet until Ty Lee hugged her. “It’s okay, Zula. We both wish we could have done the same. That guy was always hounding after palace ladies. I never thought he’d try his luck with you. I’m sorry you went through that alone.”

Azula felt her face heat in embarrassment. “He didn’t do anything.”

Mai scoffed. “He didn’t have to. A man like that knows he can control women, and a noblewoman can do nothing about it. Bastards like him deserve what they get. While killing him makes me squeamish, I’m definitely not going to hold it against you.”

Azula frowned at that. “You’re speaking from experience.” That was the only explanation Azula could give from the feeling she was getting from Mai’s words. That was ridiculous though. Mai was only 12. She was entirely too young -as was Ty Lee -to be targeted for any reason. Mai merely gave her a look that slapped Azula’s naivete in the face. They didn’t have a scary Fire Lord for a dad, and perverted monsters preyed on women no matter the age.

Azula felt the cold blooded desire to end all of those monsters from her palace. Her Fire Nation wasn’t a bastion of monsters to converge together to target people. Not only did these creatures starve her people, but they also desired her 12 year old friends!

“Zula, don’t worry so much about it. Nothing happened to us.” Ty Lee tried, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t happen to someone else. An Earth Kingdom woman who was captured, or children that were seen as less than human because their parents maybe wore green. Clearly her family was a sty on humanity, and she used to be the same.

“We have Prime Minister Qin’s alliance. We won’t use this contact too soon. I don’t want to owe the man unless it’s an emergency.” Azula begrudgingly continued to avoid the topic before. 

Mai nodded. “I heard that you were in contact with Zuko.” She said, trying to appear nonchalant. Azula wanted Zuko to protect her friend. To treasure Mai because of everything she experienced without him there for her. Azula’s stomach clenched remembering how Mai had been thrown to the wolves of the prisons that her uncle owned. Her uncle had probably witnessed his family’s downfall for a prince that was incompetent and a princess that was a serial killing lunatic.

Azula sent a small smirk. “I already told him to add a note to you in his next message. Should get another letter in a handful of days, but by then we should be done with Xun business.” By then, they’ll be relocating the people of Xun to the Earth Kingdom.

Mai’s face blushed a bit. “So he already knows we’ll be traveling together, huh?” She whispered to herself, and looked off into the distance.

Azula didn’t know she was capable of feeling so many emotions. She felt protective over her friends and brother. In her past life, she’d never had the need to protect anything but the prestige of the Fire Nation. Now she felt stretched thin, and it felt amazing. To be so free to feel all this. To be granted another chance to fix her family’s plight on the world. To make her granddad proud of her.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mai had observed Azula’s training, and didn’t know what to think about the girl she had watched grow up. Mai couldn’t fathom how Azula could change so suddenly. How was it possible? Surely Azula didn’t change because of what happened to Zuko. But she couldn’t even be sure that Ozai trying to kill Zuko wouldn’t be a catalyst for future insurrections. 

Mai wanted to believe, more than anything, that her friend was changing into someone she could actually like. Azula hadn’t reprimanded Mai for her lapse in formal speech or her lack of respect for royalty. However, Mai didn’t know if this rebellion was simply to lash out at Ozai for his evilness, or to throw a silly temper tantrum.

Of course Mai was excited to be away from her parents telling her about marriage proposals that would benefit the family. It was simply the tradition of Fire Nation women. Mai would never be given the opportunity to find her own husband and marry for love. She was of high society, and love didn’t secure political power in the corrupt swamp of the royal court.

It was just unbelievable that Azula, the girl who had shared to her and Ty Lee that Ozai wanted to kill Zuko, would ever defy Ozai just because he actually tried to do what he said he would. Even if Azula’s fighting stance had gotten freer, and she was more open with her and Ty Lee, it still felt weird.

Mai shouldn’t complain too much or be too hasty. It was either help Azula supposedly save Xun, or stay at home and suffer the judgment from other Fire Nation nobles. Sure, her family was better off than most, what with her family owning its own land to feed itself. Except her family’s position meant nothing when Mai, who had openly liked Zuko, wasn’t engaged to the ex-prince. Before, it had been a matter of time before she was formally engaged to her childhood sweetheart, but now it would never happen. Ozai would never welcome Zuko back, and Mai was nearing the age where marriage was appropriate. Her parents wouldn’t pressure her if she was assisting Azula, but even Azula would have to conform to the tradition of the Fire Nation. What princess didn’t have a fiancé at 11?

Mai wondered if Azula ever thought about how lucky she was to be a fire bending master. With Azula’s unusual status as a fighter for the Fire Lord, Azula would be able to choose who she wanted to marry. Without the ability to be a fire bender, Azula would’ve already been in a political marriage with some famous general. If Azula were a normal noblewoman, and she refused to marry like Ty Lee, then Azula’s reputation would be tarnished. Mai’s own reputation was tarnished for being so close to Zuko anyway. Ty Lee went to an “uncouth” circus to live. Undoubtedly, her reputation would make her undesirable to any powerful Fire Nation higher ups. Being in a circus was considered dirty and beneath nobles. 

Mai had once envied Azula because, unlike everyone else, she was the golden child. The untouchable daughter of the Fire Lord that was loved and feared. However, Mai’s image was shattered by Ozai’s cruelty. She started thinking that Azula could be no better than the man who raised her. After all, Ozai was the only role model that Azula had. That thought process brought the question of whether Azula had truly changed at all, or if Azula was merely defying Ozai to bring a worse outcome.

Mai walked to Ty Lee for some answers, but she saw Azula training with Ty Lee. Azula had never been able to keep up with Ty Lee when the girl started gymnastics. Ty Lee had thrown many matches to not offend Azula because of the difference in their styles, but now Azula was parrying Ty Lee’s moves with a strange new method of fighting. Azula’s style depended heavily on being a snake in its evasive nature, but this new style made the snake-like jabs seem fluid and controlled. It felt less restrained and sharp. Now she seemed relax.

Azula still didn’t crack a smile, and Mai was happy she hadn’t changed that much. This Azula was the girl Mai envisioned meeting and befriending. This Azula was the type of person Mai could trust with her secrets. Except Mai would be more patient with her loyalty and trust until the crown princess could prove what she would do for Earth Kingdom citizens.

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Azula looked at the splendid land that her dearest uncle Iroh helped annex. Seeing her uncle’s handiwork only furthered Azula’s belief that her hands would never be cleaned of the atrocities she committed. Even her uncle’s redemption meant nothing compared to the lives he ruined for the honor of the Fire Nation. All he ever received must’ve amounted to being kicked in the face by an ostrich horse.

She was at Xun, the prosperous green land that once had been dyed in blood and horror. Azula had once killed all these people to satisfy her false sense of pride. She couldn’t remember the name the people had given her, but after that, maids would routinely choose death than serve her for more than a month. Considering how Azula dismissed them, they probably suffered a fate worse than death anyway.

The land of Xun looked lustrous, but the village in the distance did not. For some reason, the place looked like it was recently raided by someone. Smoke billowing in the air from a distance, echoing sounds of wailing from children and women, shouts of fury vibrating from the ground. Azula didn’t remember the state of Xun when she destroyed it before. As a matter of fact, she didn’t remember much of Xun at all. It had simply been a place for her to destroy.

“Is _this_ the place we’re supposed to save?” Mai asked with a slightly risen eyebrow. Azula wished she could confidently say that this was the place, but she didn’t really think there was anyone left to save. The land was the only thing left saving, which was probably the point of what she was witnessing. This was most likely supposed to stimulate some kind of indifference in Azula that would make her less liable to exhibit signs of pity. She wasn’t originally sympathetic to begin with. Considering how she murdered Minister of Finance Ruo, she didn’t really think that anyone would grow suspicious if she carried out her plans. For once, her impulsive behavior worked in her favor.

“Yeah, this is it. First we need to find out what caused all this.” Azula said looking around.

Ty Lee sighed. “We already know it was the Fire Nation royal court somehow, but it doesn’t make sense to go this far, and not just finish the job. They couldn’t have known you would be sent here, so what was all this for? What was the purpose of doing this? I sense a lot of dark auras.” She said listlessly.

Azula was a bit worried about her friend. Maybe it’s because she didn’t pay much attention, but she didn’t remember Ty Lee being this sensitive to disasters. She hadn’t shown her displeasure during the sabotage of Ba Sing Se. Albeit, Azula didn’t really care about Ty Lee’s feelings, and Ty Lee was more inclined to show her emotions than before.

“Spread out, girls.” She was going to save these people one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone! Today is my big update day. I am updating two other stories as well (From Beyond and From Beyond:Extras). So check them out if you have time.


	6. Chapter Five

Azula had to admit that the rogues that were attacking Xun weren’t regular rogues. No, this had Fire Nation military all over it. The path they followed to destroy the village seemed standard Fire Nation protocol for enemy villages. There was obviously signs of scouting around the village. That implies that Xun was being sieged on a regular basis and often. The local river to retrieve water were blocked and the path of water to Xun was almost completely dried. It was a psychological move to slowly starve the enemy and make them more susceptible to going crazy and being weak. Xun looked destroyed; so their plan was successful. That didn’t explain why Xun was currently on fire if the village had been scouted for a while. Xun obviously didn’t have any fighters or else the village would have already collapsed. A village of fighters always crumbled after the second assault. Fighters usually carried the motivation of the entire village, and when those fighters were killed, the village would immediately surrender. It was pathetic, and one of the reasons why Azula liked the Fire Nation capital. Citizens weren’t allowed to live in the capital if they or a close relative (currently living with them) couldn’t fight. Azula used to view non-fighters as cannon fodder. Ty Lee and Mai were excellent fighters, even without their bending, so what was everyone else’s excuse? Now she knew that her views on human worth were a direct reflection of what Ozai instilled into her. It was why she viewed Ursa as a coward, even if she was for different reasons.

Azula looked at the evidence of what her nation had become while she was blinded. Her people had become so disgraceful that they would routinely attack a village that obviously had nothing to offer. She didn’t know why they were so tenacious and determined to do so. Attacking Xun offered nothing to the Fire Nation. This was already Fire Nation property. The thought struck Azula, and she felt like she was becoming dumber with every conspiracy she stumbled across. The Fire Nation soldiers were routinely attacking Xun, a village filled with Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation citizens, with the approval of the royal court. She realized that no matter what she did, she was always going to encounter this scene of Xun. 

Last time, Azula vaguely remembered caring about the state of Xun, or even questioning why Xun was already destroyed. She remembered telling her soldiers, just like she did this time, that she would handle Xun herself. She remembered killing a handful of people as there weren’t many left from the continuous assaults. She remembered coming back in an immaculate state. A clear sign that no one posed any struggle. Not a hair out of place for her first mission. A mission that must’ve made her granddad disappointed in her. She was so smart, but she had degraded herself into being a yes man. 

Azula remembered being dismissed by Ozai after reporting how the mission went. Either he must’ve known about the state of Xun, or he only cared about the training ground he would turn Xun into. Regardless, Xun was a lost cause. Its rich soil and clean air was going to be sullied because of Ozai’s tyranny. 

Azula saw Ty Lee and Mai at their rendezvous point. By their expressions, they must’ve realized as she had about the technique used to subjugate Xun. Azula knew that there were people in the village, but last time, she hadn’t bothered to investigate. So she knew nothing about the rogues that attacked Xun. Perhaps they had fled or been executed when the training grounds were made.

Mai spoke first. “You said we were going to be saving this place. I don’t see anything here worth saving. Are there even any survivors?” Mai looked perplexed by the smoke coming from Xun. It was normal to question if this was worth anything. She didn’t have a lifetime of information to reassure her. 

Ty Lee looked less bubbly than she usually did. “I don’t know if there are any survivors, but we have to try.”

Ty Lee tried to be optimistic, but this just wasn’t the place to try optimism. Xun couldn’t be saved like Azula had envisioned, but she could still do something. If she planned on saving Xun, she would have to stop the rogues, and she didn’t know their fighting capabilities. Surely it wasn’t on the same level as the Avatar. She, Ty Lee, and Mai could easily handle them. Just as Azula was about to announce her intentions of tracking the rogues, she began to think about her group’s fighting prowess. Can Ty Lee still chi block? That wasn’t all Ty Lee was good for, but it was a serious part of who Ty Lee was. If she could read auras, then maybe she could still chi block. It wasn’t like Ty Lee was useless without it. She could still defend herself. Otherwise, she never would have made it to the circus in one piece.

Ty Lee smiled after looking at Azula. “Why don’t we go into the village?”

Mai snorted. “And do what? They were most likely just assaulted by Fire Nation rogues. What would showing our faces do other than frighten them?”

Azula had to agree with Mai. Going into the village was stupid, but if she was going to protect these people, she couldn’t afford to split up her group to search, and possibly, miss the rogues. These rogues had the same mentality as every other soldier, and there wasn’t anything depraved rogues wouldn’t do to a girl when they had no supervision. As much as Azula hated to admit that the Fire Nation was terrible, there was a reason that entire villages housed half Fire Nation, half Earth Kingdom citizens.

“We have to go into the village. What if, when we’re looking for the rogues, they decide to attack the remaining people? What if they kill the rest? We can’t afford to fail these people.” _She_ couldn’t afford to fail these people. Then what would her granddad’s sacrifice amount to? Simply turning back time couldn’t solve everything.

Mai sighed quietly but agreed nonetheless. “Never thought you would be the one to tell me… Nevermind. You’re right. We need to handle Xun first. Hopefully there are people left. There’s no way this place could function with the fields looking the way they do. Everything is almost gone or unsalvageable. I can guarantee that’s the work of the rogues.”

Ty Lee nodded, and then said her piece. “I saw a lot of cart marks. I’m assuming they’re either merchants or traders. They went into three directions, but those directions all came from Xun. We should hurry before this gets worse.”

Slave traders. Azula had never given them any consideration before. People were captured or sold as slaves. That was that. It didn’t mean anything to her because she was the crown princess. When would a crown princess ever speak with a lowly slave trader? She had other servants to converse with such people. Who knew what kind of people were captured? The Avatar and Zuko probably did know some people who had been kidnapped under laws that she hadn’t considered abolishing. Something that never fell into her line of thought. Ignorance is acceptable in lesser people, but it is especially pathetic in royalty. Zuko’s ignorance cost him his eye and position within the Fire Nation. Ozai’s cost him his bending and all his servants, his psychotic daughter. Azula’s cost her her sanity and views on who she was. The ones to pay for their ignorance was, of course, the world. When her family line imploded, they took everyone else around them out too.

Would there even be people left after being starved and sold? _Enough!_

“Regardless of all that, we need to leave now. It appears that Xun was just attacked. It would be illogical for them to attack again so quickly after. Plus we need time to meet these people and see the state they’re in.” To see the state that they would have to wade through. There was no doubt these people would hate her.

When Azula, Mai and Ty Lee made it to Xun, she started to believe that Mai was right. The roofs of the houses looked caved in. The houses were destroyed from being burned. Some houses looked like they had been attacked a long time ago. There was blood on the ground, covered by debris and torn clothing. The evidence of a cart and horses was apparent. If this was just a light dose of what she had been supporting, then she needed to be eradicated along with Ozai.

She gestured towards her friends to stay close. Despite their youth, she had to depend on them to cover her back. She believed in them, which was an amazing feeling. She had never felt like she could depend on someone so wholly that wasn’t Ozai. She believed in her friends; that they would be able to protect her and themselves. Of course, they were only 11 and 12 year olds, but they weren’t useless and the Avatar would be the same age when he ventured around the world.

Azula saw no sign of people, and she was sure that wasn’t a good sign. Even the animals that should be frolicking in the forests by Xun were missing. There was no evidence of flowers or even weeds in the village. It was as if the village was robbed of its life when it had been attacked by the rogues. She felt useless. What could she possibly do for these people other than sprout out some useless accolades about saving them? What did talk achieve? Of course she was right in her forethought when she concluded that she would need to take out the rogues.

Taking out the rogues meant that she would have to kill more people. Would she constantly desecrate the purpose behind the air _katas_ that she learned? However, war wasn’t won through peaceful manners, and she wasn’t so foolish to believe that. She wasn’t Zuko who believed that he could have stopped her without killing her, and she wasn’t a fool like the Avatar to believe that Ozai would be broken without his bending. Although she didn’t like that her hands were forever saturated in blood, she couldn’t deny that this was the only way to save these people. Those rogues would never let these people leave.

Ty Lee stopped Azula and quietly gestured to a house. The house was definitely destroyed, but there was a small creak that ran through the house that echoed through the silent village. Someone was inside that house, and they were desperately trying to hide. Even if Azula wanted to discuss whether hunting them down was a good idea, she didn’t get a chance to choose. Mai walked towards the house in that assassin-like manner that she had perfected in Azula’s timeline. After being betrayed, Azula took brief moments to consider Ty Lee and Mai’s strength, and now that she had a clearer mind, she could appreciate and lament their capabilities and her naiveté. She had once subconsciously assumed that benders were superior, but had forgotten that she took down Ba Sing Se without bending. That had been her mind, politics. That had been three 15 year old girls using their minds to conquer a renounced “impenetrable” city. It was the most powerful bender known to mankind that had fallen that day.

For her to underestimate Mai and Ty Lee was her misfortune, but she would value them this time. Mai opened the door, and Azula and Ty Lee followed behind. There were no more creaks throughout the house. Perhaps the person inside had gotten nervous from their approach, or they sensed that someone was within their safe zone.

Ty Lee pointed at the floor that looked devastated but on one side of the floorboards near the stairs, there was a smudge from some soot. A smudge that implied that someone scraped the floor or they moved the floorboards. On her hand, Ty Lee signed that she was seeing a dark blue aura. Azula was thankful that she remembered Ty Lee’s obsession with signing. It had proven useful many times. Azula was actually shocked silly by the message. Ty Lee could actually see auras. It could just be that the girl was very perceptive, or it could be that Ty Lee actually saw auras to the point of defying logic. But, thinking about it now, the Avatar made no sense, reincarnation, time travel, and the Spirit World made no sense. However, here she stood. It was frightening to think her friend could always sense Azula’s mental downfall but stayed close to support Azula. She didn’t know what to think of that.

Azula was feeling useless, so she was the one to cautiously walk towards the floorboards. She crouched, shared eye contact with her friends and nodded. Azula lifted the floorboards quickly, and she heard a deafening shriek of fear. It was such a poignant sound that it made Mai and Ty Lee flinch. Azula, on the other hand, was maintaining eye contact with the child that was trembling in fear but focused on her every movement.

The child had a horrible cut down his cheek. It was deep, like someone tried to cleave him. He looked like he was around three, but that also could have been because of starvation. He looked too young to be alone. Given the condition of this village, she could guess that the boy’s caretaker was on a slave cart going who-knows-where. The boy’s eyes held a crystal green gleam that screamed he was from the Earth Kingdom. He curled into himself, trying to protect himself with his thin, bloodied clothes. Azula had never been a caring person, and she wasn’t now, but she was enraged at the boy’s appearance. He’d been obviously whipped and marred. Xun wasn’t being raided for its people and food, it was being tortured for no reason. She was disgusted but her face didn’t show it.

By the time Azula’s assessment was complete, the boy had stilled and quieted down. There was a round of footsteps. The village was about to appear. She couldn’t imagine why. There had been time for the boy to get to shelter with one of the villagers in-between assaults. Why would they act protective when they had left him alone? She was also confused at the villagers acting like they could defend themselves when it was more than obvious they couldn’t. This act of bravado was wasted on her.

She pushed the floorboard and let it fall. The boy jumped, curling even smaller. Ty Lee stepped forward but maintained her distance. Mai turned to the audience they now had. It was a woman who looked to be in her late 20’s, and by her appearance, she must’ve fancied herself as being a tomboy, strong like a boy. However, the lack of people backing her said that all those footsteps would sacrifice her in a heartbeat. She was probably used to antagonizing whomever appeared to destroy Xun. Being a woman that couldn’t fight, that was the dumbest thing she could ever do. Her eyes burned with indignation so perhaps their attackers never ruined her spirit, or perhaps they couldn’t.

“Leave him alone! He’s just a child! You’ve already taken his mother! Why must you monsters keep coming back? We don’t have your food!” The woman shrieked, flickering her eyes from Azula to the boy.

Azula felt out of her depth. Conning people and manipulating people was her forte. Consoling and endearing herself to people? She wasn’t the Avatar. Mai spoke for her, as was the custom in any polite setting, but this wasn’t the place.

“We’ve come to investigate Xun’s condition. Obviously you’re not doing well. Explain.” Azula wanted to squint at Mai. If she wanted to go for being a condescending jerk, she would’ve spoken. Even Ty Lee looked exasperated. Mai did remember that they had to save these people and place them on her land, right?

The woman bristled, which wasn’t a surprise. “You want to investigate? For what? You’re all are nothing but temporary bed warmers!” She scoffed, firing her next insult. “I can’t believe you’re acting like Sergeant Ni would let a woman do anything. You Fire Nation whores are all the same.” Her smirk was cruel, but Azula’s could be crueler.

Ty Lee frowned, and Mai scoffed as if she was reconsidering helping. It probably didn’t help that this was something Mai probably heard from a lot of noblemen. They would see a girl who’d once been extremely close to the former crown prince. No matter if they were together or not, Mai wasn’t a “respectable” young lady for her “flirtations” before she was properly introduced into society.

Azula let out a bark of laughter. “You’re as pitiful as you look. Sergeant who? Do we look like we follow some no-name fool of a run-of-the-mill platoon? No, we’re _much_ more able than that, _madam_.” Her voice dripped with discontent and derision.

“When we told you we wanted to know Xun’s condition, that didn’t imply that there was a need for discussion other than an explanation. State your condition, and what this Sergeant whatever has to do with it. I won’t allow any unnecessary comments again.” Azula finished, showing her old persona in the face of disrespect. While she wanted to pinch herself for being impatient, she also applauded herself by not appearing overly friendly. The woman wasn’t looking for a Fire Nation friend. She was looking for someone weak to blame and punish. This woman was weak. Her only attack was with words, but she sought to degrade them all the same. A shot of adrenaline must’ve muddied her mind to make such a reckless blunder. Had they actually been ladies in Sergeant Ni’s platoon, then they would’ve been deeply offended, armed, and a bone to pick to maintain their nonexistent pride.

The woman blanched, probably realizing her blunder. She looked down, easily submitting to Azula’s dominance. She was probably realizing that Azula wasn’t anything like Ni. She wasn’t merciful unless she wanted to be. Despite Azula’s age, she was wearing Fire Nation military ware, and her stance proved she wasn’t wearing it for fun.

“F-forgive m-my ignorance, ma’am.” She said in a demure manner. She was lucky this was the new Azula. Demure women made Azula’s skin crawl. What was the purpose of a submissive human being? Azula had proven time and time again that women fire benders were to be taken seriously. Mai and Ty Lee proved that non-benders were just as devastating as benders. So why was this woman behaving like a craven fool in front of her?

Ty Lee discreetly nudged Azula back into focus. She didn’t know why the woman’s change in demeanor bothered her so badly.

The woman still didn’t make eye contact. Gone was the fire in her eyes that screamed that she could handle Azula. Gone was the little boy’s champion who didn’t have a mark on her. Gone was the only one brave enough to defy a Fire Nation soldier, despite the repercussions. Azula looked back to the boy who had a reason to behave so weakly. He was a baby, and this woman was older than Azula. Pathetic.

“M-Ma’am, Xun was… besieged by Fire Nation military last winter. Xun has always p-paid taxes on time!” She rushed to assert, but immediately backed down. “But the soldiers, Sergeant Ni, said that the village was under his control. He was amicable at first. They were given orders to stay here for about a year or two ago, but then Sergeant Ni started a-attacking…” Her eyes welled with tears. The boy wasn’t crying, and he was surrounded by three Fire Nation soldiers. He was curled up but he was watching her with those eyes.

“He took the crops, b-but we still had to pay the taxes. He would s-s-sell… the… the women and benders. We have _nothing left_.” She finished in a defeated tone, and Azula looked at the woman in disdain. “P-please, spare us.”

Begging. How atrocious. She begged for everyone’s freedom, but they hadn’t contributed in defending her. They hadn’t even bothered to help the boy either. There was nothing left of Xun but cowards that would rather live with no honor than die with a shred of dignity that they weren’t monsters.

“We will liberate Xun of these rogues, but I want the boy.” Azula said in a quiet, controlled voice. Would the exchange spark that fire back into the woman’s eyes? The boy’s eyes widened, but he only stared, wound up tight in trepidation. His eyes were dull, as if he already knew the outcome of the demand.

The woman flinched from the demand, but she began biting her fingers. Fingers that weren’t covered in dirt or chipped. Fingers that rivaled a Fire Nation lady. Fingers that implied that her spirit had been broken, perhaps early on, and that she was a “bed warmer” herself. The hypocrisy was annoying, and it further irritated Azula that she was saving someone she disliked so much. This whole village… because she had killed everyone in it in her last life, she had subconsciously placed impossible, saint-like standards on these people. She had assumed that they would be better than her, and that they were definitely people she would be haunted by because she had killed them before. Now, she can see her arrogance in believing that her actions single-handedly affected the entire world and led to its downfall. Depravity had been rampant before she was involved. These people were nothing special, and neither was she. She had placed too much importance on them and herself to punish herself for a crime she could never truly undo.

“B-but-” The woman stuttered, blindsided, but contemplative. She was actually considering the sale of a boy to save herself and everyone else from the Fire Nation rogues. Azula bet the woman would lie and tell the boy it was for his own safety when it was really to save herself. The woman was so annoyingly familiar in her cowardice that Azula wanted to kill her.

She dismissed the thought until later. Azula flicked her eyes back to the boy, whose body loosened. Most would assume that it was in defeat, but she was the queen of this very movement. He was planning to attack. He might be an earth bender. Azula’s stomach tightened in anticipation. The woman didn’t know! No one knew that he might be a bender, and he wouldn’t oust himself until she made a choice. 

Azula didn’t know why, but she was feeling pride at the boy’s behavior. He was just a baby. He was much too young to be exhibiting such levels of deception. Someone else must’ve taught him to be deceptive and she was proud that the boy was using his trump card. If Azula didn’t look at the boy, she would be like Mai and Ty Lee who were seemingly oblivious.

“W-why do you w-want him? He’s only four. He’s disfigured. He can’t do anything or fetch a price. He’s worthless to you.” Azula looked at the woman. She truly meant the words she uttered. It wasn’t said in a last ditch effort to save the boy’s life. It was said as if Azula should reconsider him and choose someone more worthy. Mai’s eyes squinted even more, if that’s possible.

“I didn’t ask for your input. I didn’t ask for your permission. I stated the conditions to saving your lives.” _Your pathetic, meaningless lives._ Lives that were terribly embarrassing that it made Azula think she should still reconsider her act of mercy. She could understand wanting to live by any means necessary, but she wasn’t so pathetic to do this. Were there other children here? Would they also be sold on the road to freedom for a few more steps? Azula could be lying and this ungrateful sow had already taken her word for it.

She bowed her head again. “M-my m-m-mistake, ma’am! Of course you would want him!” She said, but her eyes looked at the boy selfishly. He was, in her eyes, fortunate to be bought by a Fire Nation soldier. She was a mere bed warmer.

Just as Ty Lee prepared to speak, the boy jumped out of the hole and made a mad dash away from them. “YuLang!” The woman screamed in panic. She probably panicked because her physical ticket to safety was going to ruin everything for her.

The woman dashed out of the house, and Azula, Mai and Ty Lee lazily followed them. Azula saw a wall of adults, mostly elderly and some young women, blocking YuLang’s escape. These people had appeared out of nowhere to only do this. An elderly lady slammed her stick in front of YuLang. 

“You selfish boy! Think of us! We cared for you when your brother left, and you can’t repay the favor of taking care of us? Selfish! All you do is eat!”

Another girl pretended to be understanding. “YuLang, I know this is hard to understand, but you need to do this. Remember. We all make sacrifices. When YuLin left, we all suffered, but you can be the hero.” This low level of manipulation wasn’t working on Azula and it failed on YuLang.

“No! Lin Lin will be back! You’ll be sorry!” YuLang shouted, and then the wall of people fell into a deep hole as YuLang ran past them. The previous woman tried to run after him, but she tripped off of the hole. Mai threw her needles and it snagged YuLang’s pants. He was running so fast that, when he tripped, he smacked his face into the ground and rendered himself unconscious.

Being able to force a group of people underground at the age of four was impressive, and Azula desired that in her team. She was also impressed by his resilience. He didn’t cower too much in front of her. Azula would bring him back, and perhaps find his brother if the boy was obsessed with him. 

Azula merely stepped over them like they were animal waste. She inspected the boy who, thankfully, hadn’t broken his nose from the fall. He had merely given himself quite the knot on his forehead. 

Azula had to admit that while this town of useless bed warmers with no dignity were useless, this boy was the prize she regretted killing in her past. She was unsure if she had killed such a young, bright bender. Any place other than here was better. With her, she would surely teach him how to harness his ability to bend. She would keep his bending a secret, but she would keep him as an unofficial ‘trophy’ of Xun. The boy would undoubtedly hate her for taking him from this rendevous point of his brother’s, but he would’ve been killed by these women eventually. 

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The unconscious boy slept noisily. He tossed and turned from what Ty Lee could presume were nightmares. Ty Lee watched Zula look after the boy as he slept. She didn’t speak with the women of the village, and Ty Lee couldn’t fault Zula for not doing so. Zula had gone on and on about wanting to save Xun, like there was some majestic reason for doing so, but after meeting the people here, Ty Lee couldn’t see what was so special about this village. She was happy that Zula was willing to defy Ozai, but she expected something grander. Perhaps Ty Lee was too disillusioned because she failed to see the value in people that weren’t useful to Zula. How could these women prove they were worth Zula’s time? Maybe Zula had heard wind of the earth bender boy? It wasn’t that Ty Lee meant to be so caustic, it was just that Zula wasn’t the daughter of Ozai for no reason. She was a strategist, which was obvious in her actions; she would never risk everything she had unless there was some pay off. ‘Because it would be the right thing to do’ wasn’t a realistic pay off for royalty, and it especially wouldn’t work against Ozai.

Ty Lee desperately wanted to know the reason why they hadn’t ushered the women away from Xun already and left the rogues to do whatever they pleased. Soon Ozai would order the rogues to stop their assault on the village as the occupants had been ‘taken care of’. It didn’t make sense, and Ty Lee was happy that Mai shared her confusion.

When Ty Lee finally gathered the courage to ask Zula everything, Mai barged into the dilapidated hotel they were staying in. “Alright,” Mai said after checking for any eavesdroppers, “why are we here? What’s going on?”

Zula was watching over the boy with a sense of maternal instinct that Ty Lee didn’t understand at all. They were just 11. Zula couldn’t possibly be thinking of keeping the boy. He was so obviously Earth Kingdom that he wouldn’t survive in the Fire Nation capital. After this mission, Zula couldn’t simply not return home. Also, this side of Zula… Ty Lee was constantly reminded that she didn’t know Zula that well.

Zula simply looked away from the boy in a way that was so strikingly familiar to Ursa, Ty Lee didn’t dare to mention it. While her friend may have become a better person, having a mother abandon her own child was never going to be something Ty Lee could mention -casually or privately.

“We need these women to see us defending them. We have to withhold our identity, but we need them to spread the stories of us to other villages being destroyed. I want to help as many as I can before it’s too late.” Zula said, shifting her eyes back to the boy, YuLang.

“What does that mean?”

Zula crossed her legs and released a breath. “It means that the Fire Nation will encounter an enemy that we will lose to. An enemy that the Fire Nation must lose to. Being on the side of the Fire Nation, this corruption, will be our downfall. We must save these people to ensure we save the life of the people of the Fire Nation. When we meet this enemy, we have to make them our ally.”

Ty Lee smiled. That’s her Zula! There was no movement made without an ulterior purpose. This ‘enemy’ was going to be the person to help them defeat Ozai, and apparently they posed a threat the Fire Lord wasn’t aware of. Ty Lee wanted to know who, but she knew that it was stupid to expose the name in a place like this. It made her feel better knowing that they didn’t come to Xun to save these people only; they came to Xun to ensure that their ‘ally’ would help them defeat a tyrant!

Mai loosened her frown hearing Zula’s explanation as well. She was satisfied with this arrangement. “That’s more reassuring. At first, I thought we were only here to save these people and nothing else.”

Zula snickered. “While that sounds terribly stupid, it is what we’re doing for the time being. This plan will take time. These women may be utterly useless, their spawn may be the very people shaping the future after our success.”

Ty Lee didn’t doubt that Zula’s plan would work. By making these women watch themselves be freed, they would be indebted to the mysterious female Fire Nation soldiers. They hadn’t been overly rebellious either. They were obviously doing their job while sparing some civilians. They were higher ranked and nicer. With this amount of publicity, how could their ‘enemy’ not find them fascinating?

“Oh, Zula! I’m so excited!”

Zula narrowed her eyes. “Be quiet. You’ll wake YuLang. We don’t need to worry about him as well as the rogues.” Ty Lee didn’t correct Zula being softer to the boy. As long as he didn’t pose a distraction and endanger Zula, he could remain with them. Ty Lee vowed to protect Zula from herself and others no matter what.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Azula was thankful when night fell. That meant that the Sergeant and his group would pay the women a visit. She kept YuLang sequestered away in the attic of the building during her assault. He didn’t need to be bothered. He was obviously the only worthwhile person during this entire fiasco. She was thankful her granddad gave her a second chance, but even with this, she would never think his sacrifice was equal to something like herself. While she could save this boy, she couldn’t undo every monstrosity the Fire Nation unleashed. It was a miracle that Zuko had lasted so long without bloodying his hand, but she supposed that was because their uncle wouldn’t allow him to. It seemed that Azula would always be forced onto a darker path.

Azula ushered Ty Lee and Mai after her to wait outside the village for the men. They would scout the situation and their capabilities. Since they were only here for a good time, they wouldn’t come with many weapons. Azula liked easy fights like these.

Just as they got situated, the group of soldiers came. The man in charge was Sergeant Ni, an arrogant man who had a drunken swagger about him. _Too easy_. Only three of them bothered to bring a weapon, probably because they’ve done this enough to know that no one would really defy them.

As the men wandered into the village, Azula turned towards Mai and Ty Lee. “You both understand what I’m asking of you, right? I didn’t know we would have to kill them, but it must be done. This is to secure ourselves from any suspicion by Ozai.” If the rogues discover the women gone, but no bodies, they would assume the women escaped. Whomever they were supported by would know what Azula had done, and that was blackmail material she couldn’t allow. The rogues knew this place inside out, and if she wanted her plan to succeed, she needed to eliminate them all.

Ty Lee looked a little uneasy but she still agreed. “I promised to follow you, and I will follow you. I didn’t think I would make my first kill today… but I believe you when you said this was for the future.”

Mai nodded. “If those guys tell anyone about us, and it makes it to Ozai, we’re going to die anyway. I’d rather kill these guys than have these people’s death on my conscious.”

Azula could accept these reasons. She was upset that she was bringing her friends to commit murder with her when she had explicitly believed she never would again. She couldn’t avoid dirtying her hands at Xun.

“Then let’s end this quickly.” 

Azula calmly walked from the outskirts of the village, and sent Ty Lee and Mai to check if any of the rogue straggled from the group. Azula would kill all of the rogues inside of the hotel. 

When she entered the hotel, she saw a group of men drinking and laughing loudly. They looked like men just having a good time, but it hardly mattered to her what someone was doing before she ended their life. Azula rushed towards the first man; she grabbed his sword from his pocket, and she twisted it into the man’s stomach. The kill was unbridled and graceless. A kill that old Azula would’ve scoffed at making, however; she wasn’t the old Azula. This Azula would use whatever means necessary to eliminate these people. 

The two men surrounding him, staggered backwards from her in astonishment and their drunkenness. They didn’t have a sword like the other man had, which was why she went for the closest man first before he recovered his wit.. Azula wasn’t perfect with a sword, but she was effective enough with it against two drunk men that could barely function. She swung the sharp sword at the closest man’s neck, and his friend fell releasing a shout that wasn’t as loud as he would’ve hoped. Azula simply stabbed the sword downwards into his chest. He tried to gasped and shook trying to grasp her, but Azula didn’t like to linger after a kill. It was meaningless.

A woman from the village had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling at the fallen men’s bodies. She must’ve felt relieved seeing these monsters be killed and away from her forever. The woman nodded at Azula, and directed Azula to the four rooms that held the men. 

She leaned close to whisper to Azula, but it hardly mattered because the men wouldn’t hear them outside anyway. “Sergeant Ni is with Xue in that room.” She pointed. Azula would save him for last.

Azula walked into the first room, and the man was startled from his position so much that he fell off the bed and banged his head on the table near it. Azula released her flames that practically begged to be wielded. They bounced inside her veins with their desire to eliminate people for their goal. In the future, she would have to be more careful of how she suppressed her flames. They demanded being routinely released, no matter what situation she was in. Before, the flames were controlled, now they felt like they were alive and cognizant. They wrapped around the man’s neck and burned him while strangling him. He didn't get the opportunity to make a noise. They felt more violent than before, and she could only attribute that to the fact that she was starting to follow the way her flames were feeling and not controlling them as much.

Azula went into the next room but found that she was unnecessary in the man’s removal. The woman inside the room had beaten the man to death. He was unrecognizable, and she was simply smoking on the bed. When she saw Azula, she gave Azula a serene smile that spoke of how relieved she was of being out of this situation. The woman continued to smoke and look out the window as if she felt weightless, and Azula assumed that this woman also faced atrocities and loss by these men.

Azula went to the last room, and burst open the door. The woman from before that sold YuLang was inside, hiding in a corner, while Sergeant Ni glowered at the woman. He was prepared for an attack, so either he heard the previous kills, or the cowardly woman told him. His eyes flashed with recognition as he saw Azula, and he began sweating and shaking. He immediately dropped to his knees in deference.

He was about to shout something, but Azula silenced him with a kick to his face. “Speak of your orders. Why did I come to Xun to witness it’s decimation?” She demanded, and the man shook, holding his face.

“P-please f-forgive m-m-me.” He said gasping for air, and flinched when Azula lifted her leg again. “It was Pli! Minister of Affairs Pli! He ordered me, about a year ago, to turn this place into an easy target for Fire Lord Ozai! I swear it! I swear that Pli was the one who ordered this!”

Azula disliked the man even more for his admittance, but she accepted that not everyone had friends like hers. Mai and Ty Lee never spoke of their intentions in Azula's last life, even when Azula demanded them on threat of pain. They would fight her, but they had never betrayed her secrets. Were they protecting her even after they attacked her?

Neverthematter, Azula had her answer, and her flames danced in satisfaction. She contemptuously glowered at the man and the young weakling in the corner. Finally this was over. She released her flames and let them free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, but while writing everything, my mind veered completely off of my layout, and now I have to rearrange everything. However to compensate for the long delay, I've made two chapters for everyone to enjoy.
> 
> Stay safe and be careful everyone!


	7. Chapter Six

Azula was tired of the sea when she finally reached the Fire Nation capital. After killing the men that night, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee relocated the women to Mai’s territory. Mai said that her family would handle the women’s relocation to Ba Sing Se. While the Earth Kingdom capital wasn’t the safest or smartest place to be in the future, it beat being in a colony that was destined to be overwritten for a training ground.

YuLang was a different story entirely. He didn’t come near anyone, and he obeyed her when she watched over him. She felt like an older sister. She made sure he was dressed, fed, and looked after. Lo and Li had nothing to say, even if their expressions said everything they didn’t. They didn't understand why she had taken YuLang, and Azula didn't explain. Ty Lee watched him as well, but Azula could tell it wasn’t from friendliness; it was from weariness. Mai didn’t pay him any attention.

Azula received another useless letter from Zuko about his annoyance with their uncle, and Mai received a three page letter about who-knows-what. Azula had to admit she was very bitter for being an afterthought, but she supposed it was typical of their affection for each other. Even Ty Lee received a letter from the circus, but she wouldn’t let Azula know from whom it was. So Azula was stuck with YuLang who looked bitter from receiving nothing from his own brother. Of course that only made sense.

Azula wanted to be closer to YuLang. She wanted him to depend on her, to look after him like she wished someone had looked after her. YuLang had the potential to be a lot like how she was before: bloodthirsty, emotionless and selfish. He would do anything to survive, and he would if he had stayed only to realize his brother might never come back. Was she even able to take care of him? She had only ever had Ozai for 15 years of her life as a role model, and her granddad for considerably shorter. What experience did she have to look after an impressionable child when she was one herself?

Azula imagined her granddad would be disappointed in her actions at Xun. She knew he would because she had killed so many people without hesitation. She wasn’t Zuko or the Avatar. She couldn’t solve problems through talking. She couldn’t save people with her trustworthiness or charisma. She didn’t have those skills, and so she used what was at her disposal: her mind. In the end, Azula was a genius. Everyone else had people behind them to bolster their strength, but Azula always depended on her mind. 

She went through her air bending _katas_ in her courtyard, feeling the breeze from outside. Her flames licked around her in a protective stance. She felt like she was in-tune with who she was meant to be. She didn’t understand what these flames meant, or why they were so happy with air bending, but it felt right. She liked the feeling of things just feeling right, of not being shackled by all of her responsibilities. It wasn’t healthy to want to escape, but at least in these _katas_ she could be a vulnerable person.

Just as she finished meditating, she heard a shuffle of feet. Azula turned to see YuLang observing her. His eyes flashed with determination. He had probably watched her closely for any weaknesses, but he was too weak to challenge a master such as her. She would change that. He would learn to defend himself, fight with and against her. For some reason, she had a lot of aspirations for the boy’s future. 

YuLang must hate and respect her, and after following her to the Fire Nation palace, he understood that his visions of attacking her were unrealistic. Every second he spent with her was another cold reminder that he wouldn’t be able to escape her again. Not only was she rumored and feared to be deadly, but his peepings into her training proved the rumors were factual. She wanted him to quickly learn that anyone that stayed by her side was not simple, even if she had once believed that to be so.

“YuLang.” She called in a firm voice, facing the boy with all the grace of a crowned princess. YuLang was still a little boy, so he was cautious and foolish in his gaze at her. His gaze gave all of his emotions away, and Azula would have to fix that soon. He would never last if he gave himself away. Ozai would eat him alive sooner than a wandering nobleman in the palace.

“Yes, Princess?” He asked tentatively, but he rebelliously didn’t look towards her. She sighed. Hopefully he would be more well-mannered when she was done with him. She had always wanted someone to be raised under her tutelage. It would’ve been nice if it had been a fire bender, but she welcomed the challenge of training him to be the best earth bender under the Fire Lord’s watchful eyes. It would be tragically ironic.

“It is Crown Princess, YuLang. Fear not, I will teach you all you need to know to survive.” She said, walking towards him. He fought the instinct to shrink before her. She didn’t bother smiling as that put people on edge, rather than reassuring anyone.

She knelt in front of the small boy. “I will teach you to be stronger, smarter, craftier. You will survive, and I will see that you do. You must always listen to me, or you will die a short, pitiful death. You are in the Fire Nation palace, and you cannot possibly imagine the end someone of your descent will face.” He looked truly frightened, so Azula did something unusual. She patted his cheek like she had felt her granddad do to her.

“You do not need to fear anything. I will be your teacher. What do you have to fear with me around?”

YuLang’s eyes became watery and he bit his lip to stop the urge to cry. His body, that was wound up so tight, loosened immediately and he bawled his eyes out clinging to her. Azula froze. What does a normal person do at this moment? Did she hug him back? When was the last time someone cried in front of her? She couldn’t even remember something so ridiculous happening. Ty Lee and Mai never even cried in front of her, much less show vulnerability. That probably wasn’t something to brag about.

So Azula simply allowed YuLang to cry himself into exhaustion. He fell asleep on her lap, showing that there was a test that Azula had passed. He had probably been on edge since his brother left. Azula was reminded of Zuko leaving Mai behind to suffer the consequences of his actions in Azula's last life. Azula didn’t like YuLang’s brother very much, but she would allow YuLang to delude himself into believing his brother would come around someday.

Azula carried the light-weighted boy to her bed and laid him down. Renna stayed in a corner, out of mind and sight. “Make sure that he’s undisturbed by anyone. I don’t care if it’s a high ranking nobleman. No one is to enter this princess’s quarters.” She didn’t want anyone snooping near her courtyard in search of information about YuLang. 

Azula left the room and walked around the palace to hear the latest gossip. It was all about her success in Xun. Apparently people were applauding her handiwork rather than covering it up this time. The gossip went on and on about her taking down a group of traitors in Xun, and clearing the field for the war.

She was told to go to Ozai for lunch. He wanted to hear her recount of what happened at Xun. He must’ve had his suspicions from investigations. Minister of Affairs Pli was likely going to be in attendance. While killing Minister of Finance Ruo was impulsive and forgiven, it would not be forgiven for her to kill another minister. It would draw too much attention to Ozai that something extreme was happening between his royal court and his daughter. Ozai was paranoid, and any indication of her disloyalty or secrecy would end her campaign against him. He wouldn’t hesitate to try his luck against her, and she would end him earlier than planned. 

Azula saw a line of Fire Nation Elders walking past her, and she paused as they passed by her. It was customary for royalty to stop and give the Fire Nation Elders the respect they deserve. After a Fire Lord was crowned or an heir determined, the Fire Nation Elders were present to impart advice or record history. Ozai had always dismissed them as unnecessary, and she couldn’t entirely blame him for doing so. The Elders were useless in fighting Ozai and her in her other life. Now she hoped having their approval would make her fight easier.

The Elders looked mildly irritated and pleased at her display of courtesy. The leader stopped and bowed before her. It was a good sign that she was being watched and examined. Not many people were given that kind of respect. She vaguely remembered hearing from her uncle that the last person they bowed to had been great grandfather Sozin and her granddad.

“Crown Princess Azula.” The Elder said, foregoing the small talk.

“Elders.” She said, following their example. Maybe they had attended a meeting with Ozai. The man was always calling meetings for matters that weren’t qualified enough to garner any real attention. He claimed he was staying informed, but he hadn’t noticed that he was being used and fooled. So she assumed he called many meetings to keep a constant tab on his followers. He liked to feed his paranoia often.

The Elders left and she went to have lunch with Ozai and company. There was no telling how annoying the conversation was about to become. She knew that, although she wanted YuLang to be a secret, everyone would’ve heard of him through gossip. Anyone with a brain would have paid heed to the gossip spreading through the palace. Because of the gossip surrounding her deed at Xun in eliminating the rogues, people believed a bit of the rumor that she had secured Xun to become a field for food. The rumor had been casually made before she and her men returned. She made sure to mention it in passing so that Ozai would be publicly obligated to oblige her demands. Perhaps this lunch was to acquire information on who mentioned the field becoming food.

A maid was waiting outside the door, and she immediately bowed, but not before she looked at Azula with gratitude. It was strange to see anyone look at her with anything other than distaste and sickening desire. “Crown Princess.” The woman said in adulation. She must’ve been one of the many who was extremely happy with the prospect of food.

Azula gave the woman a lasting glance, and the woman blushed at the attention. She was pleased to be acknowledged. Perhaps if Azula maintained an amiable relationship with the staff, they’ll be more likely to assist her against Ozai and the ministers.

When the door opened, Azula saw that she was the last to appear. It was a show of dominance. She was merely 11, and they were seasoned politicians. Ozai meant to use this as a way to stave off her previous rebellion. She had defied him for Zuko; a grave and public slight on his integrity and honor as Fire Lord. He, most likely, knew that his Agni Kai was pathetic and didn’t make him look frightening; he looked like a joke. Him running from her was probably another strike in his dignity.

Azula knelt and felt the ten second long delay in addressing her from Ozai was reminiscent of Old Madams strutting their power before a new daughter-in-law. Did he seriously think that she feared him as she once had? That him not speaking with her for ten extra seconds would change anything? 

“Azula, I heard of your mission in Xun. How did it fare?”

“Father,” Azula said, feeling like her mouth was full of ash. Even her flames were displeased with her words. “I went to Xun, expecting to find the half-breeds you told me of. Instead, I see Fire Nation property desecrated by former Fire Nation soldiers. The leader, Sergeant Ni, had the audacity to say he no longer needed to fight a pointless war. I killed his ‘subordinates’, and then I interrogated him. He did not know the nobleman he received his traitorous ideas from, but I suspect it is someone from the Fire Nation capital.” 

Azula explained in simple terms that could easily be verified through other soldiers. She had gone alone into Xun with her two friends, and she left Xun completely ablaze with a little boy at her side.

“The boy?”

“A passing fancy, Father.” She said in a dismissive tone. No one showed Ozai emotions unless they were asking for problems. It wasn’t time yet to show her true colors. After this expedition, she needed to lie low. Ozai was becoming too weary of her actions, and that meant that he would interfere in her life more often than not.

“Passing fancy?” He repeated, and Azula determined that someone had tried to spin the boy’s existence to being as important as it truly was. YuLang was an occupant of Xun. He knew what Minister Pli had been up to and that scared Minister Pli.

She didn’t respond or tense, to Ozai it looked like she didn’t fear his anger or she had nothing to hide. He would be watchful of YuLang, but he wouldn’t act against her. He remembered that she defied him for Zuko and the _kata_ he didn’t know. Ozai needed a healthy dose of fear to remind him of what he created. She was a double edged sword that he would fall upon soon.

Ozai was silent for a while. “Stand.” He commanded.

Azula stood to see a smirk on Pli’s face. An arrogant smirk she would take pleasure in slowly tearing down until he only showed despair and regret. What would regret do for him, a pathetic fool?

“For your swift victory of Xun, you will own the property to Xun’s grounds.” Ozai said, with slightly narrowed eyes. Azula almost smiled at Ozai’s stupidity. With the land in her hands, she would definitely make it into a field for food. She would turn it into a domain that housed the “half-breeds” she freed. She didn’t have to glance at Pli to see him looking like he smelled her uncle’s shoes. It almost made her snicker in amusement. Without much effort, things were working in her favor.

"Thank you, Father." She would have to repay him for his generous gift in the future. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Azula went to Prime Minister Qin’s house. She had the man’s acceptance, but she needed to publicly announce that he was affiliated with her and not Ozai. While Ozai would just see her visit as unnecessary, everyone else would be affected by how swiftly Azula was moving. Just weeks ago, Zuko was banished and sent on an impossible mission. In that short span of time, Azula had garnered political support and successfully completed her first mission that resulted in extra food she could distribute as she pleased. She was the crown princess, so she could easily expand her territory under the guise of helping the Fire Nation. It wouldn't even be a lie. Ozai must’ve believed that after her burning, there would be nothing left. Quite the contrary. It would take months until she could utilize the same farm land again after its year long assault, but she could use the many other parts of land. 

Azula had sent a letter ahead of time to Qin’s household to tell him of her visit, so when she showed up, maids and butlers all lined up outside to greet her. Prime Minister and Madam Qin were outside already bowing. Their son was also present, but he wasn’t memorable at all. He looked like a scholar but not a warrior. A Prime Minister with a son that wasn’t prepared for war? Did he dislike this son? It hardly mattered.

“Crown Princess, it is wonderful to have such a grand person in our household.” Qin said jovially. She could tell that he wasn’t being fastidious in his speech with her. He was genuinely pleased with seeing her. She was suspicious as to why he was so genuine. He was only assisting her because it was better, morally, than following Ozai. That didn’t mean that he was following her because he believed in her or something as stupid as that. Her way of ruling was just more profitable. 

“Prime Minister Qin, it is good to see you in better health.” He had been exempt from the lunch fiasco Ozai held because of a sickness he had. Fortunately, his ‘sickness’ cleared away. While she understood that Qin had private matters to attend to, she was curious as to why Qin was missing that day. However, his servants were extremely tight-lipped. They wouldn’t indulge in any gossip at all. It was strange, but not surprising since he hadn’t become Prime Minister for nothing.

“I thank the Crown Princess for caring about a sickness in your servant. Please, come inside my home.” He gestured like a good host. Having royalty visit his home meant that he would have more political pull over his competition. None of the other houses had a crown princess at their doors. It also made his daughters and sons more desirable in terms of connections. She had done Qin such a big favor, he had better return it. 

Azula merely nodded her head. She walked in front of Qin who walked a step behind to show her the way into his home. His wife and son drifted in the back, quiet until they were needed to fill in any silence.

They walked into a parlour where many servants bowed, waiting for her to sit down. Prime Minister Qin had prepared the best of the best to impress her into liking him. However, Azula wasn’t truly impressed at all. She knew how households functioned in the Fire Nation. A man could have two wives and many mistresses. He had only displayed his official wife in a show to appeal to Azula since she was a woman. Most women detested the idea of showcasing a mistress. Azula felt her first impression of Qin’s son was adequate. His son was lanky and seemed to prefer being in books all day than training. He was rather young, and a man Qin’s age wouldn’t have just a son and no daughters.

She easily assessed that Qin’s actual pride was with his mistress. If he had a son with his second wife, he would have just brought her out, but as custom had it, a mistress wasn’t meant to appear before royalty. Ozai once had a harem full of women that he inherited from Azulon, but after Ursa left, he burned them all alive. It had marked the official beginning of his tyranny. Any spawn from those women were immediately burned alive as well in her timeline. Azula remembered feeling happy that those nuisances had died by Ozai’s hand. It would’ve been a terrible waste of time eliminating more siblings.

Azula could only make this assessment about Qin's household matters, she couldn’t say anything about it. To mention his private matters was ignorant and disrespectful. She would’ve lost his support with an inconsiderate comment like that. 

The Prime Minister spoke of nonsensical drabble. He went on and on about nonsense, but he seemed intent on maintaining a peaceful atmosphere until he spoke of his son. 

“My eldest son, Qin Mo, is working to get into the royal court. He has been working very hard for a long time on weather disasters and recovery.” Ah, Qin was trying to make a sales pitch for his son to her. However, she was only 11, and such decisions would be solely given to Ozai. Because she was so useful and deadly, Ozai would not dare send anyone to marry her. She would kill her fiance so quickly, it would feel like no engagement happened at all. Most noblewomen had betroths by now. Ursa had arranged a marriage for Azula, but thankfully Ozai purged the man’s entire family for considering to marry Azula. To Ozai she was an unblemished tool. Marriage was what he had once used to scare her into obedience. Eventually she would be forced to marry and have heirs to the throne. Her husband would assume he could have dominance over her, and if Ozai remained in power, her husband would kneel and give away everything she acquired. A husband was a nuisance.

Prime Minister Qin was an evil man to consider throwing his own son into a snake’s pit, but the move would solidify his position. A puppet for a son married to the crown princess meant that he would have unquestionable power and control. Qin Mo was only book smart, but she was that and much more. Qin Mo had no power, but his father did. However, her earlier assessment was probably what would make her a fool if she accepted. Qin Mo wasn’t the pride of Prime Minister Qin. Qin Mo was just the official son. He would merely be a chess piece in a large game. Prime Minister Qin must’ve forgotten that she was the player, not a piece.

“Is that so?” Azula said, slowly lifting the tea cup. Tea had become synonymous with her uncle, and so everyone knew, even at 11, that she despised it. However, she wasn’t so immature as to waste a drink because of an emotional connection. However, she would remember these continuous slights against her intelligence. 

“Yes, indeed. My Qin Mo has been coming to the bureau to see how work is done. He’s very perceptive.” Prime Minister Qin said, but it meant nothing because she could detect lying a mile away. Prime Minister Qin was mentioning all this because it was something his other son did. This son spent his time reading, as she could tell from his pale skin. He stayed inside more than she did. That didn’t bode well for her. His state of appearance spoke volumes of the man he was. He sat regally before her, not glancing at her. She could determine that he meant to dress in an older style to show off his dated views on the world and society. Specifically, it spoke volumes on his views on women that he knew her status but he was still arrogant. He sat regally to express his certainty in already being her fiancé. He thought too highly of himself, and so he was older than he appeared and couldn’t find a good wife. Prime Minister Qin dared to offer her someone so stupid?

“A studious man indeed.” She commented, and then sipped her tea. It was slightly bitter, and she wondered if that was just her projecting her feelings. “I heard that my father’s secretary, Han, has a daughter who likes these kinds of men. She should also be introduced to such an outstanding man.”

It would be a sad day when Azula let a mere minister try to fool her. She would use his assistance, but she would also introduce this son to Secretary Han's daughter. It would be the perfect way to get Secretary Han's attention. The man was strict, but he wasn't as stupid as Qin. 

Madam Qin’s face blanched at the mention. It was widely known that Secretary Han’s daughter, Han Ye, was interested in men like that. She usually drove them crazy, and after she's done conquering them, they turned out miserable and submissive. Han Ye loved arrogant men who didn't know their place in the Fire Nation hierarchy. She was almost 20, but she was still not married. People would shame her, but her father was Secretary Han. They didn’t dare, and Prime Minister Qin actually tried to test her patience.

Prime Minister Qin laughed boisterously, but she could tell the joyous mood was tainted by her comment and his blunder. Qin Mo was blushing from embarrassment. He had probably assumed stealing someone else’s achievements would work in his favor. Her comment didn’t sever their connection, but it did put Qin in an uncomfortable position. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent ignoring Qin’s proposition. She wasn’t for sale, and she definitely wasn’t so desperate for comrades that she would marry a list who was just a fraud. She was a liar; someone that had lied to an earth bending lie detector and hadn’t gotten caught.

By the time she left, Qin returned to a good mood, but his wife became apart of the background, probably in shame for having such a useless son. Qin Mo looked submissive, and stayed out of Qin’s sight. Qin Mo behaving submissive infuriated her, but judging by the vein marks on Qin’s face and head, it angered him more. She left to handle her business.

After today, noblemen all over will be vying for her hand in marriage. Ministers will offer their best son and try to petition the Fire Lord, since it hadn’t worked for Qin. Ozai will find some way to use the proposals against her in some way, but he understood her personality. She would be fine once she was sent on more missions. Proving her worth meant her engagement would be postponed.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been three days since then, and Azula stead-fastedly kept YuLang in her courtyard. The boy lightly trained with her in the mornings, and she taught him the basics of education in the afternoons. When she had to leave, Renna ensured he was hidden from sight.

Azula had been given other maids, that were meant to spy on her, from Ozai, but they quickly sided with Azula after Azula promised to keep their families at her domain. The maids spied for her, and she discovered that some of them were from the Earth Kingdom. They had been kidnapped from their homes and forced to work in the palace. Azula needed intel on the condition of the Earth Kingdom, and they freely gave it to her in exchange for their family's freedom and secrecy.

Her two new maids, Meng and Duan, were also assassins for hire. It was either kill for money or prostitute themselves for freedom. Azula wouldn’t ask them to kill anyone, but they had the ability to teach YuLang things she could not.

“Duan, you used to be a part of the Dai Li, yes?” The Dai Li used to be under Azula’s control, but they were created a long time ago to protect the culture and the people of Ba Sing Se. It was incredibly corrupted when she had taken control during the insurrection. If Duan was a part of the Dai Li, and it was steeped in corruption that couldn’t be created within four years, then she could earth bend and tell Azula the climate of Ba Sing Se.

Duan was always proper towards Azula. “Yes, Crown Princess.”

“Teach YuLang earth bending. You both will depart to my new domain, Tuōxiǎn.” She was going to make her granddad proud and save the people she couldn’t before. 

She knew that Ozai's giving her a domain meant that he was demoting her from the capital. He wanted her out of the palace, but he forgot that her demotion wasn’t a bad thing and the noblemen wouldn’t dare bully her. They couldn’t torment her because she was crown princess. This merely allowed her to have more freedom that he couldn’t monitor. While she utilized the maids in the palace, he was left in the dark. She only had to be weary of the royal court.

She needed to be apart of the royal court, but she was only 11. She wasn’t old enough, and she didn’t have enough experience to be apart of the politics that went around. She would have to wait two years before Ozai would consider her. The only way Azula could make herself seen and taken seriously is if she proved her efficiency in political situations. So far, she had only proved her physical prowess. She needed to usurp Minister of Affairs Pli and replace him with someone she knew.

YuLang overheard her command, and his face crumbled. She supposed it would seem reminiscent of his brother abandoning him for whatever it was. He restrained himself from coming to her and showing a vulnerable side of himself in front of the maids. Azula was proud. She had drilled into his mind that, even though Meng, Renna, and Duan were loyal, they could not be privy to private discussions. They were merely maids. Their loyalty could bought at any time. Ursa had raised Azula from birth, and then Ozai had taken over her rearing. She had no nanny that raised her from birth. She had no mother figure at all to explain the ‘dos and don’ts’ of royal affairs. She merely went along with what she knew and how Ozai taught her. All of their relatively private conversations were in seclusion.

“Leave me.” Azula said, and Duan and Renna bowed swiftly leaving. Meng was currently picking up all the gossip she could about Pli and his household affairs. Meng had helped a madam before in managing business, so Azula would receive her assistance with Tuōxiǎn. Azula had delivered many letters to Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee about her new situation and her requests of her friends. She would hear Mai and Ty Lee’s responses sooner than Zuko’s.

YuLang looked at her, but didn’t say a word. He shuffled his feet and gathered his courage. “Crown Princess…”

In private, she desired for him to call her Azula. She knew that that was a long way off, but she desperately wanted to become closer with this person that despised her and desired to be liked by her. She felt like his behavior was oddly familiar. It reminded her of herself towards Zuko. She had always disliked her brother for his ability to garner friendship as soon as he walked into a room. Azula was always guaranteed to garner hatred. Zuko simply had to be himself to acquire friendship; Azula had to manipulate to acquire companionship. Zuko easily found love in people, and then he squandered it repeatedly. Azula couldn’t find someone to love her so explicitly. She was always jealous of how easily Zuko obtained loyalty. She fancied herself like Ozai, and that that was why people aborred her.

“YuLang.” She said quietly, sitting on her bed. YuLang liked to come near her and lean on her. She imagined that he did that often with his brother. She wasn’t envious of his brother, but she did find it puzzling that he left. Maybe he left before Ni came to Xun.

The little boy padded over to her, and sat beside her. He didn’t cling onto her, but he probably desired to do so. “You want me to go away.”

“I want you to learn to protect yourself. We cannot stay here. We’re going to my domain, Tuōxiǎn. It is where you can freely learn earth bending without the Fire Lord learning about your abilities.” She explained slowly. He was only four, after all. It didn’t matter that they had a seven year difference between them, he was practically a baby given an info dump about Fire Nation etiquette. He was probably overwhelmed, and leaving the capital will help his growth.

“We?”

“Yes, we. I want to teach you everything you need to know to defend yourself.” She patted his head as gently as she remembered it being done. “I see potential in you, and I can tell you’ll be a great bender someday.”

“And you’ll stay with me?”

“I must leave sometimes, but I will come back. It is my domain, you know. Why wouldn’t I come back?”

“Lin Lin didn’t come back...”

“Obviously I’m not Lin Lin. Your brother may come back or he may not. No matter what happens, you’ll be able to fight too.”

“And then I’ll tell Lin Lin about you!” YuLang said excitedly, like a child his age should. But he immediately shrank back. She had years to help him trust her. She was only given this level of intimacy because she was the only one who had extended the relationship between them. No one had acknowledged his existence. It only makes sense he would see her as a role model.

She made a noncommittal noise. “Of course you will. Get prepared. I will meet up with you in a few days. There are things I must prepare. Duan will watch over you well.” Or else Azula would show Duan why she had been feared before.

YuLang nodded and then closed his eyes while laying on her lap. Was she supposed to rub his hair? She had seen Mai do that to Zuko, and he fell asleep really fast. Azula rubbed his hair and heard YuLang sigh as he curled into her stomach. She would have to cut his hair soon.

**Author's Note:**

> Azula isn't even arguably my favorite character because of how amazing she is. I just feel like she got one of the worst endings in the series. She has more to offer, and I wanted to give her that opportunity.
> 
> Hey-o, everyone! Sorry that I took one of the longest hiatuses ever (for me), but yes, I am actually working on my other story (From Beyond). I've taken some time off to regroup my mind and creativity. I find that after everything, I needed to remember the feeling of creating a story that, not only, entertains everyone else, but also entertains me to write. 
> 
> A writer under nicolek28 is writing a story called "Love Always Finds A Way". I think it's pretty good, and it's worth checking out. 
> 
> Please be more patient with me, and I hope you enjoy reading more.


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